Cruel Summer
by ddtje70
Summary: Set during the Summer following S4. Did you think Eric and Jackie were just going to sit around Point Place after their signifigant others left for California? Its time to think again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone, a first time writer here. I've been reading for a long time, and a wave of inspiration hit me to tell this story. This story takes place immediately following the season 4 finale. Weather you like it or hate it, drop me a line and let me know. Also, I don't own the characters or show, I only wish. Enjoy the story!**

Cruel Summer

June 1978

Donna Pinciotti's Room

1:30 AM

What a day it was. It was obvious that Donna was not returning from wherever it was that she went anytime tonight. Eric Foreman had spent the past couple of hours replaying the events of the past day in his mind. Would he have done things differently? Maybe he would, but the more he thought about it, the more he arrived at the same conclusion, that he did the right thing. Everyone around him did not seem to understand that his pride had been hurt when Donna chose to date Casey and that wasn't going to change anytime soon. However, while Kitty and Red were lecturing him in the kitchen earlier, he decided he was fighting a losing battle trying to explain to his family and friends that he would not settle for being Donna's second choice. If it took sacrificing a bit of self pride in order to get the love of his life back, so be it. It's not like everyone him thought he had much self pride to begin with, right?

"It figures. This will just give another "Eric is a dumbass" story for people to tell their friends about later on, right"? Eric was starting to get tired and was talking to empty space in Donna's room now. He started to get up and walk back to his house and try to forget about today and get a little bit of sleep. He also could locate Donna in the morning and talk to her then, right?

A few minutes later…

Eric arrived at the door to the basement figuring he could finish off Hyde's old stash he had left and get to bed after. He was not prepared for that he saw next. He looked to the couch and saw a tear stained, puffy eyed Jackie Burkhardt, sitting there with a piece of paper in one hand and a bunch of tissues in another.

Eric hadn't ever seen Jackie in such a sad and vulnerable state before.

"What on earth are you doing here this late Jackie? Shouldn't you be home getting your eight hours of beauty sleep?"

"Can't you see I'm not in the mood for jokes Eric? She asked with an edge to her voice. " I was waiting for you because this has something to do with you as well."

Jackie then held up the piece of paper she held in her hand gesturing for Eric to take it from her. "My guess is that after you read that, you will be in no mood for jokes either."

Eric took the piece of paper from her and noticed Donna's handwriting. "Jackie, where the hell did you get this?" he asked loudly.

Jackie's voice was barely above a whisper at this point "It was on the table when I got here."

Eric then turned his attention to the letter he held:

_Dear Eric,_

_Guess I've really outdone myself this time, huh? It was wrong of me to think that you'd just take me back like nothing had happened. It's okay though, I understand. I just want to let you know that I'm on my way to California to live with my mom. Things are too complicated for me here and I really need a fresh start somewhere else. Kelso has volunteered to drive me out there. Apparently, Jackie thinks she was going to marry him. That's kind of sad, huh? I guess she has a lot to learn too. I wanted to thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given me. You will always hold a special place in my heart. _

_Love you always, _

_Donna_

Eric looked up from what he read and plopped down on the couch next to Jackie. His heart felt like it had been hit by a ton of bricks. He just sat there speechless for a few minutes until she spoke.

"I'm really sorry Eric." It was the most sincere tone he had ever heard from the girl he claimed as the devil.

"I'm sorry too"; was his simple reply.

Jackie couldn't take it anymore and started to sob," I thought this was the happiest day of my life. I was going to get married. Now I wish this day never happened."

She then started to cry as Eric knew she had been doing before entering the room. He just thought about how sad this whole situation was for both of them. With that he reached out his arm and brought Jackie's head to his shoulder. She was shaking as Eric rubbed her in a comforting manner. A small tear started to form in his eye before he finally was overtaken with sleep.

A couple of days later…

Eric emerged from his room with a lot of his mind. He had spent the past couple of days in his room just thinking of recent events. He knew he could not sit in bed all summer as he had a year prior. He felt determined to actually have an experience of his own. He needed to tell Donna what he felt about their relationship once and for all. If Donna Pinciotti could go on a cross country road trip, why couldn't he just take a journey of his own?

Eric came down the basement stairs to see his best friend Stephen Hyde sitting in his usual seat.

"Foreman? You're actually coming of your room for a change during the summer?"

"Hyde, I can't just crawl into a shell like I did last year. I actually have to act on this one or I could lose Donna one way or another, forever."

"Alright Foreman, I'm curious. What's your brilliant plan of action this time?"

Eric just smiled as he started to open the box to his Candy Land game and smiled "I figured, why should Donna and Kelso be the only ones to have all the fun? I have a perfectly good Vista Cruiser I can drive sitting in the driveway. I can't afford a plane ticket and I have to tell Donna how I feel about her once and for all."

Hyde then just started to laugh "Foreman, are you serious? Red and Kitty will never let that happen. You'll be a dead man before too long."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence man." Eric said with a sarcastic look on his face. "I was looking for a vote of confidence or maybe even a co pilot for the trip.

"Sorry, no can do." Hyde replied as he grinned. "Leo asked me to look after the photo hut this summer and this will provide endless amusement for me here when this all blows up in your face."

"Once again thanks for your support Hyde. Just do me a favor and don't tell my parents. I'll tell them when the time is right."

"Oh I wouldn't dream of it." Eric hated that sarcastic grin of Hyde's sometimes. "Good luck Foreman."

"Thanks Hyde. Later." Eric then gathered his things and headed for the Vista Cruiser.

Later that day…

Eric had been by the candy shop at the Point Place mall already to say bye to Fez and after that was when his mind shifted to that of Jackie. He had not heard from or seen the cheerleader since the other night which was unusual since weather he liked it or not, she was always around his house. They were both pretty quiet when they woke up on the couch the morning after that fateful day. She was very quiet, saying a small "Thank You" to him and blew him a kiss as she left the basement. He figured that he already said goodbye to all the remaining members of the group, that he might as well pay her a visit too.

In Eric's daily travels, the Burkhardt Estate had never really made his list. Other than a dinner party about a year or so ago, he never really had reason to come here until now. The maid answered the door and directed him to Jackie's room. He knocked on the door.

Jackie opened the door and had a surprised look on her face. "Eric, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was in the neighborhood and figured I'd stop by. I've been a little concerned that our favorite tiny brunette burning partner hasn't been around to remind me of my geekdom for the last couple of days."

Jackie then cracked the door open to her room. It was a mess with tissues and crumpled up papers from her unicorn notepad scattered all over the place. He also saw a dartboard in the corner with a picture of Kelso taped over the bull's eye spot that looked like it had been put to good use.

Eric turned his attention back to Jackie as she spoke "You don't need me to remind you of that Eric. Everyone around you can remind you of that;" she said with a small smile.

"Anyway, I wanted to be sure you were still alive and now that you are, I've come to say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Where are you going Eric?"

"I have to tell Donna how I feel once and for all. I can't afford airfare, so why not make a summer adventure out of it?"

"Eric, your parents will have your head on a platter for this!"

He started to yell "WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP TELLING ME THAT!! I'M MY OWN PERSON DAMN IT!!"

Jackie's face began to soften as if she was going to cry right there; Eric immediately started to regret yelling and grabbed Jackie by the shoulders, "No, no, no Jackie, I'm sorry. That's just the third time I've heard that in the past hour, that's all."

"Don't worry about it, I'm just still a mess Eric. I've been torn between wanting to get Michael back or just figuring out how to beat his brains in the next time I see him."

"Gee Jackie, that's a shocker. I mean, look at it in here. Anyway, good luck figuring that out this summer;" Eric started making his way back towards the door. "Let me know what you decide when I…

Jackie jumped off her bed and spun Eric around, "Eric, wait" she said with a smile beginning to creep up your face, "Take me with you."

Eric stood there with his mouth agape contemplating the idea his arch rival hit him with.

"Jackie, we'd absolutely kill each other. Trust me."

"Oh Eric", Jackie waved the notion off, "It will only be for a couple of days on the road and I'll be trying to figure out what to do about Michael anyway. Besides, how do you plan on paying for this ordeal?"

"From my secret stash, of course." He replied.

"Not that stash in the Candy Land box Eric! There's not enough to get you to California in there."

"You know where I keep that stash too?!?!? I really have to make another hiding spot when I get back!!"

Jackie couldn't help but laugh in response as she started to pull her credit card out from the drawer of her night table. "Daddy returned this to me the other day when I told him what happened between Michael and me! Consider me your financial backer!" she said with a big grin.

Eric rolled his eyes "Oh, alright. Pack your stuff. I'll be waiting for you out at the car."

Jackie jumped up and down and clapped "Yay! Thanks Eric, I'll be right there!"

Eric started back to the front door while she packed, muttering to himself "Yep, it's going to be a long summer."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Just hope everyone enjoyed the first part. This was designed to get our main characters started on their trip and set the stage for when things really take off in the near future. Thanks to Marla's Lost for the kind review. I appreciate it and I guess that's what makes writing this worth it. Also, once again I don't own 'em, and never will. Enjoy part 2 everyone!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 2

Somewhere in Iowa, later that day…

It had been about twelve hours on the road and things were going well…okay. After waiting a full hour (to Eric's dismay) waiting for Jackie to pack, the geek and the devil departed Point Place. Things between the two travelers were as civil as possible for them, as it seemed that a silent truce was understood given the events of the past few days. That's not to say that there weren't a few bumps in the road already…

Earlier that day…

Things were pretty quiet in the Vista Crusier as Eric was driving and Jackie was looking out the window, both entrenched in their own thoughts. That's when she spoke, "Eric, could you find somewhere to stop for lunch, I'm getting pretty hungry."

"Oh, just get the cooler in the back, I packed a couple of sandwiches."

"Whoa, wait just a minute. I just don't eat in cars Eric. I need a nice peaceful place to solely enjoy my meal. I am rich, after all."

"Jackie, don't you think you're being a tad too demanding about this whole lunch thing? We've only been on the road for a few hours. We'll save a ton of time if we just have dinner somewhere and lunches in the car."

"Oh, that's brilliant Eric. Except for one thing…"

"What's that?"

Jackie reached around to the back seat and opened the cooler. A smirk started to appear on her face as she lifted the cooler to the window, sending all its contents out to the road. "You don't have any more lunches in the car, Burn!!"

Eric tried to get the cooler when she saw that look on her face and was unsuccessful. "Jackie, WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?!? That was a terrible burn, it was not what a burn was intended to do!" he shouted as the Vista Crusier started to swerve as the driver's attention was briefly diverted.

"Eric, look, out!!"

Another car was coming straight at them. Eric's eyes grew wide as he jerked the wheel and the car spun to the side of the road as they both screamed.

They were both breathing heavy as just across the street from where they had pulled over was a small roadside diner.

Eric winked at Jackie with a smirk, "Bon' appetit!"

Currently….

Eric was starting to feel a bit groggy and Jackie had drifted off to sleep. He was in the middle of nowhere and the first motel he had seen in about 30 miles had appeared. "Well might as well stop here", he thought to himself.

He then went to wake up Jackie, shaking her lightly, "Jackie, time for your beauty rest in your new castle". He joked as Jackie began to stir. She opened her eyes, took in her surroundings and thought just of one thing to say.

"EWWWW! If you think I'm even coming close to a room in this run down, roach infested place, think again Foreman! I already ate at that hole in the wall diner for lunch anyway! "

"What else do you want me to do then? This is the first place I've seen in miles and it is affordable."

"I told you already DUMBASS that I have my dad's credit card. I can at least afford to have better surroundings than this. I'm a Burkhardt!"

"Well excuse me, you spoiled little brat. Do me a favor and jump in the back seat for a while, because if I have to look at you again while driving today, I might just leave you at the side of the road!"

"Fine, have it your way." Jackie yelled as she made her way to the back seat.

An agitated Eric made his way back on to the empty road.

About an hour later, Jackie was asleep in the back seat as he wondered what his buddy Kelso even saw in Jackie anyway. He was doing her a favor bringing her along for the trip and he gets repaid with the attitude of the spoiled brat he thought that she was? The worst part about the whole thing was that he was thinking more about Jackie's selfishness than what he was going to say to…

Right at that moment, Eric was jerked from his thoughts with the bright lights of a Holiday Inn sign. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Finally!" he remarked as he pulled into the parking lot.

Eric then woke Jackie again and her face lit up when she was aware of her surroundings this time. "Thank you Eric." She replied as she gave him the first genuine smile since they left earlier that day.

"Save it!" Eric then stormed off with their things towards the entrance.

Jackie did pick up the bill for the night with her dad's credit card and they went to their third floor room.

Jackie then felt a bit of sympathy as they put their things down in the room. "Eric I think I owe you an…"

She was interrupted by a stone faced Eric "I'm going for a walk. All of a sudden, I'm not very tired anymore." He then slammed the door, leaving her alone in silence.

Eric took a walk around the hotel parking lot. It was quite peaceful as a slight summer breeze waved through the air and the stars shone bright above him. This was the most peace he had all day and figured he should drive a bit quicker the next day. He was missing Donna a lot, wondering what she was doing in California at the moment. Did she like it there? What was she doing right now? Did she meet another guy while at the beach, and what were they doing at this very moment? He then slammed his fist into the hood of the Crusier, out of frustration of his predicament. "Guess I better get some rest before I get hurt" he said to the night air. With that he walked back towards the hotel entrance.

He returned to the hotel room expecting to find Jackie sound asleep. Instead, she was pacing around the room, obviously anxious about something. "Hey, I was hoping you'd come back soon. Will you come out to the terrace for a second?"

"Only if you promise not to throw me off." He replied with a confused look.

"I promise. I have a surprise for you." She reached out her hand and guided him out to the terrace.

On the terrace, a lamp was moved to the middle of the terrace along with a pizza box and two sodas. There was also a bag that looked like it came from some kind of shop and two towels there for them to sit.

"What is this?" an astonished Eric asked.

"Dinner. I wanted to apologize for some of my actions earlier today."

"What's in the bag?"

"It's for you. There was a pretty neat little gift shop and restaurant in the lobby. Go ahead and open it"; she said excitedly in anticipation of his reaction.

He took the bag and pulled out the item. It was a small little blank book with the Star Wars logo on the front. "What is this?" Eric asked.

"It's a journal Eric. I figured there's a lot going through your mind right now and you can't even comprehend what to do with all of those feelings. I always think it helps to write it down. It gives me a kind of release. It's what I should have done instead of taking my frustrations over Michael out on you. I'm sorry and I really appreciate what you're doing for me here."

Eric was stunned. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for him in quite a while. He gave her a smile and said "Apology accepted. Thanks for the gift too, it may prove to be a bit useful. But I have to ask, why the Star Wars cover? I never thought you'd want to be seen in public with something like that."

"Well, I wouldn't want you to forget how much of a geek you really are. Besides, I'm a Burkhardt! It's easier to buy forgiveness." She joked.

"Let me guess, your journal has a unicorn on it." He retorted.

"How'd you know?"she asked with a laugh.

"Just took a shot." He said as he smiled.

They held a brief gaze for a moment before Jackie broke the silence. "Let's eat. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"You're telling me. Now we can eat; Just you, me, and all the sleeping cows in the field back there" as Eric pointed to the nearby farm that the terrace had a view of. They shared another laugh as they started to eat dinner.

Meanwhile back at the Foreman's…

"MY BABY! SOMEONE HAS KIDNAPPED MY BABY!" Kitty Foreman was in hysterics.

"Will you calm down Kitty, the car is gone too. The dumbass probably just forgot where he lived! Besides, look at how much peace and quiet we have without all those kids that think they live here."Red Foreman replied to his wife while in the middle of a beer at the kitchen table.

"RED I WILL NOT CALM DOWN! THINK OF HOW SCARED HE IS OUT…

Before Kitty could finish, the phone rang. Red got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi Mr. Foreman, this is Jack Burkhardt, Jackie's father.

"Oh, the loud one, I see. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to let you know that my daughter left the house this morning in your son's car with a lot of bags packed. My maid saw the whole thing."

A couple minutes later….

Red just got off the phone and Kitty stared at him wide eyed ."What was that about Red?"

"You ready for this? Our dumbass son picked up the loud one this morning, with a lot of bags packed and they drove off."

"OH RED! MY BABY RAN AWAY FROM HOME!" Kitty yelled as she ran into her husband's arms.

Red had a grumpy look on his face as he said to nobody in particular; "Eric, you've outdone yourself again. There will be hell to pay for this one, I promise!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** **Okay, here's Chapter 3. Its a bit long, but I felt it was important to end this chapter at the point I did for the sake of development. With that, hope you all enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 3

The next morning…

_Dear Journal,_

_My name is Eric Foreman. I'm 17 years old and live in Point Place, Wisconsin. It's the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. I'm currently on a road trip staying at a Holiday Inn just over the border between Iowa and Nebraska. I'm on my way out to California to correct a few mistakes I have made. My ex girlfriend and the love of my life since I could think rationally, (not that I've done too much of that recently due to circles in the basement with the group) Donna Pinciotti , wanted to get back together with me and I turned her down. That same night I got a letter from her saying she was moving to California to live with her mom because she needed a fresh start. The more I think about the way I hurt her that night, I feel more sickened about it. I'm basically taking this trip to right my wrongs and maybe see a few cool sights along the way._

_I guess that leads me to how I got this journal in the first place. Jackie Burkhurdt. The thorn in my side, the Darth Vader to my Luke, the Lex Luthor to my Superman, gave this to me as a gift last night. See, we were never really friends, but just grouped together by association really. For the past couple of years, she dated one of my best friends, Kelso. To explain, Jackie's very controlling, (that's about the nicest way I can put it) and she thought she was going to be engaged to Kelso, who though I love the guy like a brother, isn't too bright sometimes. I find it to be a strange coincidence that this occurred on the exact same day that I turned Donna down. After I waited for Donna in her room for the better part of that night, I found Jackie in the basement in tears herself after reading a note Donna left for me. It's ironic that I get the worst news of my life from the girl I consider to be the devil incarnate, huh?_

_Anyway, I didn't see Jackie for a couple of days after that as I guess we were both in hiding and being miserable. I came up of the idea to take this trip and had already said goodbye to the rest of my friends. I went to say goodbye to her as well. I normally would have stayed far away, but for about the first time ever, it seemed that we had stumbled upon common ground. I never even entertained the notion that she would ever ask to join me on this trip so she could have some kind of talk with Kelso, even though I have no idea what she is thinking in regard to that relationship. Since I was put on the spot and had NO time to think it over, I reluctantly agreed to have her join me on this trip. Yesterday was the first day we spent traveling together, and she lived up to every villainous character I had portrayed her as in my head. She had whined about EVERYTHING regarding my plans. I was so upset that I considered leaving her at the motel I first pulled into last night. It probably would of made a good burn to counter the throwing my packed lunches out the window yesterday. I finally took some space in the parking lot when we arrived here last night. When I returned to the room, I was surprised with what I found._

_Jackie was waiting for me in the room with dinner outside on the terrace which she obviously put some thought into pulling off. She also had a gift for me, which turned out to be this journal I'm writing in right now. She told me she has one of her own that she writes in often and said it would help me vent and maybe feel better. I was stunned since it was probably (I hope she never reads this) the kindest act I've ever seen her perform for anybody, yet alone her arch rival, yours truly. What was even more surprising was that as we were having that dinner, we actually had fun reminiscing about some of the crazy times we all had last year. I brought up Kelso's prank day and how that REALLY backfired on me and she brought up the mess that was supposed to be the Point Place Christmas Pageant. I guess it was sort of up therapeutic for the both of us talking about fun times that involved both Kelso and Donna. Oh, Donna! This is supposed to be about Donna! Why am I wasting this much space on Jackie? She's still my sworn enemy! Oh my god...she's cursed this journal! I told you she was evil! What am I think….Oh, here comes Jackie out of the bathroom, finally. I guess it's time for breakfast and to hit the road. I'll write again soon, this actually helps. Go figure!_

_Eric_

Meanwhile, at the Foreman's….

Steven Hyde exited his room in the basement prepared for another relaxing summer day. So far his summer had consisted of getting up, working at the photo hut with a few necessary brown bag breaks along the way. He would then usually go to The Hub after finishing work, then go back to the basement and have, well, half a circle anyways. This was followed by usually watching whatever was on that night followed by laughing at Fez when he would inevitably run home sick from all the candy he ate that day at his summer job. All that and he was now the sole minor left in the Foreman household for the time being. Yep, things were looking good for his summer, alright. He decided to celebrate this morning, pulling out his brown bag and….

"STEVEN!"…Uh, oh. That was the loud and unpleasant voice of Red Foreman, and it was coming this way.

Red charged down the stairs to the basement. Hyde, thinking fast, tossed his brown bag under the couch out of view just in time. Red then stood behind the couch and spoke "Alright Steven, I'm giving you a chance to tell me about dumbass's whereabouts now."

"He told me he was going away for a while, but I don't know"…

Red interrupted him, "Too late. I already talked to the loud one's father. Apparently, I gave her credit for being more intelligent than she actually is. She actually thinks that _Eric _is going to get her to California without…

Hyde then spoke "Wait Red, are you telling me that Jackie went on that trip too? Man, this summer just keeps getting better."

Red's eyes went wide. "You mean you knew the whole time where they were the whole time and didn't say anything to Kitty or myself?"

Hyde gulped. He did not like the look he was getting from Red. He then feigned a surprised look "I mean, what did they do? Man what a dumb…"

"Save it Steven. Do you know how I have spent the last 12 hours of my life? I was up all night trying to calm my wife down due to the stunt Eric pulled. I could not get my sleep which puts me in a bad mood. When I'm in a bad mood, everybody pays the price!"

Hyde was liking this less and less "Well, that's great and all Red, but I really have to get to work right…"

Red interrupted him again. "SAVE IT! Now when I do see Eric again he is going to pay. I'm going to laugh and he is going to cry, and it is going to be oh so beautiful! However, I need a place to put all this energy over being upset. Since you tried to cover for him, I seem to found the perfect place for it. If you're going to live in this house this summer, and are not at the photo hut, you will be working for me. There are a lot of jobs Eric was going to do and it seems like they're yours now. Get it?"

Hyde slumped in his seat "Yes, Red."

Red then save as much of a smile he usually gives before going to the stairs "See I'm feeling better already" he said before going back up the stairs.

"I knew I should have gone to work early." Hyde said to himself before getting up to leave the basement.

Later that day…

_Yes, I know how happy you are that I'm writing again! You get some Jackie time now! I only have a few minutes because Eric is in the store getting supplies, and I explained before, a few minutes of Jackie time is equal to hours of a poor person's time. Now, like I said, I decided to go on this trip to California on an impulse decision. I saw the window of opportunity to resolve what I feel for Michael once and for all and I took it. I know Eric probably agreed to take me because being seen with somebody as pretty as myself will always improve his image, however, I'm going to hate to be the one to break the news to him that he'll always as a skinny geek no matter who he is seen with._

_Anyway, Eric and I didn't get off to the best of starts on our trip yesterday. I mean, I'm Jackie Burkhardt! He's spent enough time around me to know that I'm rich and I have high expectations about each place I eat or stay. He committed my number one don't. He tried to be cheap if you can believe that! I just voiced my opinion to him and he got really mad. I had never seen him like that before. I did some thinking when he left the room and figured he was probably in just as if not more vulnerable a state as I am. He is taking me on this trip so I can see Michael when he didn't have to, just being the nice guy I know he is. (Don't EVER tell him I wrote that!)_

_What do you think I did to make it up to him? Of course, I worked my typical Jackie Magic and pulled out daddy's credit card! I know, I even amaze myself sometimes! I also got him a journal of his own because I figured it might help him as much as writing in you helps me! All was forgiven and we actually had a nice chat over dinner about some of the times we spent with the group. We've been on the road for a while now today and I think this is the most civil things have been between us since I don't know…maybe ever. He even let me choose the radio station. Michael never…Wait! What am I doing taking all this time writing about this skinny, twitchy geek? Michael's the one that I'm taking this trip to…OW! What's in this bag? Oh my god NO! Are those rolle…uh, oh! The trunk just slammed to the car, he's back! Just try not to miss me too much while I'm gone, okay?_

_Love, Jackie_

After Eric gets in the car…

"Hey there, what are you doing little lady? I see a unicorn on the cover, which means you're probably writing about how much fun you're having and what an awesome guy I really am, right?"

Jackie turned the other way so she was looking out her window so he wouldn't see the slight shade of red her face had become. "Yeah, only in your dreams Foreman!" she spat back.

As soon as the moment passed she turned back to him, "So, what did you get at the store?"

The smirk Eric was wearing disappeared from his face and he nervously answered "Uh…nothing, I mean, it's a surprise. You'll find out later."

Jackie couldn't help but laugh "Eric, less of the twitching and more of the driving, please!"

Eric simply responded, "Fine, let's go."

With that, they were on their way again.

Six Hours Later…

Since they were traveling west, there was more daylight to drive through the further they got. A couple of hours ago, Jackie gave up control of the radio in order to take a nap. She was still asleep in the passenger's seat and looked extremely peaceful at the moment. The thought it was good that she was able to get some rest given the whirlwind of events that had occurred over the past week. He felt bad that he had to stop and interrupt her nap, but it was going to be dark soon and they had just arrived in the state of Utah. What better excuse would he have to stop and eat? He found a rest area just over the state line and pulled in the parking lot.

"Jackie…Jackie, wake up." Her eyes fluttered open to see Eric Foreman in the next seat over.

"How long was I asleep Eric?" she asked as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh, just for a few hours. Anyway, come with me. I've got a surprise for you."

"Eric, you're not going to leave me here, are you?" she had a skeptical look on her face.

"Who, me? Leave you here? I wouldn't dream of it!" Jackie noted the sarcasm in his voice.

By this point Eric got out of the car and went around and opened her door and reached out his hand to her "Trust me Jackie, if I were going to leave you anywhere, I would have done that a long time ago. Let's go. You're going to like this." With that, she accepted his help out of the car as he guided her over to a nearby picnic table.

Jackie was surprised by what she saw. The picnic table was set with an open basket in the middle of it along with two places like they were set for a restaurant. There were also wrapped up burgers, bags of chips, and two sodas. It was almost like being at The Hub, only it was overlooking a sunset in the mountains and cliffs. It was definitely a prettier scene than looking out the window and seeing the main drag of Point Place.

Jackie took a moment to look over the scene and responded. "Not bad, not bad at all Eric. It sure beats eating in the car or whatever that place was we stopped at yesterday. Really, it's very sweet of you, thanks Eric." With that she walked over and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

Eric turned the other way in an attempt to shield his face. "It's no big deal, really Jackie. You did the same thing for me last night. Consider it just returning the favor. Now let's eat. The food's probably cold enough as it is!" They both sat at the table and started to eat.

An hour later, the conversation was still going about the many exploits of Fez, and neither Eric or Jackie noticed that the beautiful sunset disappeared and were replaced by heavy clouds as they continued to talk.

"So my parents were driving through the photo hut to pick up their pictures and saw totally nude Fez there while working off his debt to Hyde for fixing his car when he accidentally crashed it into Leo."

Jackie laughed. "Oh my god! I can't believe I never heard about that one before. What was I doing when that was happening?"

Eric thought for a moment. This happened right at the beginning of her problems with Kelso. He took the underwear modeling job and blew her off when she came to see him. He then remembered that Donna told him that she wound up going to the movies with the guy from the cheese shop that night. That led to the next week where Eric found her…oh, no! This was a sore subject, wasn't it? "Uh, I don't know, what am I, your personal secretary or something?" he asked instead.

That got a laugh out of Jackie. _Phew! Disaster averted, Eric thought to himself._

Jackie then spoke "So, I believe I saw you using my gift when I came out of the bathroom this morning. Any new revelations about Donna?"

Eric nearly choked on the chips he was eating with this question. _Okay Eric. Choose your next choice of words very carefully. _Jackie gave him a strange look and he started to respond. "Well, I didn't think so initially, but…"

He was interrupted by a clap of thunder and it started to downpour just like that. "Run for it!" Eric yelled as they both scrambled to clean up their mess and booked it for the Vista Crusier.

Once they got back in the car they couldn't stop laughing at how that situation unfolded. Jackie then spoke in between laughs "This is the kind of thing that always happens to you isn't it?"

Eric smiled back. "You know you're right. I guess you know me better than you thought, huh?" Right after he spoke, there it was. That same gaze at each other that they had the previous night on the terrace was happening again. As quickly as it started this time, it was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder. They both shook themselves of the momentary trance they were in.

"I guess we better find the nearest hotel and fast." Eric remarked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."Jackie responded.

Eric put the key in the ignition to start the car and – nothing! He tried a second time, then a third time, but still nothing.

"Eric what's going on?" Jackie asked looking concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing. Sometimes the engine floods when there's heavy rain. I'll try it again with some gas this time." He tried giving her a reassuring look.

He turned the key again and stepped on the gas. Immediately upon doing this, he heard something fall to the ground below the car with a loud THUD!

"ERIC! Tell me that didn't just come from under THIS car?" screeched Jackie. "Eric… Eric, are you listening to me?

"I am so dead." He responded as everything around him faded to black.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** **Here's chapter 4. I didn't expect to be done so quickly, but I got on a roll. Enjoy! **

Cruel Summer

Chapter 4

_What a perfect summer day, Eric thought. The sun was shining overhead without a cloud in the sky as he walked on to the California beach. It felt really good as the light breeze just pushed the ocean smell closer to him. Families were all along the beach as the turned to look back at the houses that were beachside "Eric"…he heard a woman's voice calling him…Was this Donna? Which house was the voice coming from? "Eric"…there it was again! This was great! This was going to be the day that he finally got back together with Donna! Wow, how things change quickly, Eric thought. He starts to sprint towards the house that the voice was coming from, sporting a huge ear to ear grin…There was the voice getting closer! "Eric"…_

_All of a sudden, the beach scene was gone. It was replaced by a vanilla extract factory. The workers were all giving him strange looks as his grin turned to a look of confusion. "ERIC"…it was the same voice as he heard at the beach, except it was the form of an unpleasant yell…Everything suddenly went black again…_

"ERIC, ERIC, WAKE UP!" Jackie was yelling at her traveling companion while trying to revive him.

She could see that he was starting to stir. "Five more minutes, mom"…Eric began to mumble. Jackie continued to shake him. "Hey mom, could you make my pancakes in the shape of Star Wars…" Jackie had enough of this game as she wound her hand back and slapped him hard across the face.

A startled Eric sprung up from where he was slumped over in the Vista Crusier and yelled "OW!!" As he was yelling, he then banged his head hard on the roof as well. "OW!!" He looked around and became aware of his surroundings again, including a not too pleasant Jackie Burkhardt starring daggers into him. Oh, that was the explanation for the extract factory. It was her pleasant scent of vanilla.

Rubbing his head in the sore spot, he then spoke, "Jackie, honestly! There are better and nicer ways to wake people up!" his voice was slightly loud.

"You are such a mama's boy! Star War's shaped pancakes? Really, Eric? That just shows how much of a wuss you really are." She hissed back at him.

"First off, I can't help it if my mommy loves me! Secondly, I didn't hear an apology for"…

"Forget it Foreman! Not going to happen. We are trapped here for the moment, and I want to know what you're going to do to get us…"

Eric was the one interrupting now "What I'm going to do? According to my calculations Jackie, there are two of us…"

The pair's argument was interrupted by a truck that had pulled into the parking lot right next to them. As fate would have it, there seemed to be a tow attached to the back of it as Eric caught full view of the logo on the side: BUD's AUTO BODY SHOP SUNRISE, UTAH PHONE: 555-9843. Eric's eyes lit up while Jackie's features wore more of a skeptical look.

The driver of the truck stepped out revealing an older man, probably somewhere in his early 60's. He had grayish hair, looking like it was turning slightly white. He had a more heavy set type body, which reminded Eric a bit of Bob Pinciotti. He was wearing the uniform of an auto mechanic, compete with the name "Bud" patched on it. Eric rolled down the window quickly when he arrived at the Vista Crusier.

"I heard a loud noise while eating in the restaurant over there, and figured you two may need a little help."

Eric smiled at the older man "Sir, that would be great. My name's Eric and this is my frie…er,…this is Jackie." Eric stuck out his hand to the older man and the two shook hands. Jackie just seemed to be sitting there scowling at her present company.

"Pleasure to meet you both. The name's Bud. Do you guys need a tow somewhere? I can drop you anywhere you guys need to go." He said with a smile.

"Actually Bud, we're not from the area. We were on a road trip to California road trip from Wisconsin."

Bud responded "How sweet. A young couple on a road trip for this summer vacation." He remarked with a chuckle. Upon hearing this, Jackie scoffed and immediately exited the Vista Cruiser and ran inside the lobby of the rest stop.

Eric gave an astonished looking Bud a nervous laugh. "Actually, Bud, it's not like that. As a matter of fact, it's not even close to being like that. Trust me."

Bud gave Eric an apologetic look. "Oh. Well I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Eric gave Bud a smirk. "Believe me, it doesn't take much with that one."

"Well I guess I could give the car a tow to my shop, and there's a motel not far down the road from there."

"Sounds great, Bud. How much is this going to set me back?"

"Don't worry about it yet. The tow is on the house."

"Wow, thanks! I'm going to go try to get my traveling companion."

"Do what you need to do. I'll get started on the tow."

Eric then got out of the car and raced through the rain into the rest stop station. He found Jackie sitting down on one of the benches in the lobby with her arms folded and a pout on her face.

Eric looked down on her with a small smile. "Great news Jackie, Bud is putting the car in his tow truck as we speak. He's even towing it for free! There's a motel right down the road from his shop, so I guess we can stay there until the car gets fixed."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "That's just great Eric. You're going to actually trust a random guy you just met to take your car and tell you where you can stay? It sounds just too good to be true to me. Besides, the thought of myself riding around in that smelly old tuck is SO not me."

Eric then furrowed his brow. "I haven't heard any brilliant ideas out of you yet, so I'm waiting." He then started tapping his foot.

"I'm sorry Eric. The both of you just aren't popular enough for me to be seen in public with."

Eric felt his blood beginning to boil. "Look I'm going to take that ride out there. So you can either join us or find your own way home or to California, it's your choice." With that being said, he turned and started to storm out of the building.

It only took Jackie a second to process. "FINE!" she yelled as she ran to catch up with him.

Later on in the truck…

Bud could sense the tension between his two passengers. The radio was going with Eric sitting in the truck looking straight ahead and Jackie with her arms folded staring out the passenger's side window. Bud made an attempt to break the ice "So, seen any good movies lately?" His attempt failed and was met with silence. Nobody noticed as they passed a sign on the side of the road.

WELCOME TO SUNRISE, UTAH POP. 2,528

At the auto shop…

It was around ten at night by this point so the shop was closed and Bud's workers had already gone home. It was a small shop, with a tiny waiting area, and a counter. There was a small list of prices for basic jobs such as oil changes, tire rotations, and tune-ups. Bud stood behind the counter with a grim look on his face. "You ready for the bad news?" he asked.

Eric stood on the other side of the counted alongside an extremely annoyed Jackie. "Now's a good a time as any, hit me with it Bud." He said with a sigh.

"The noise you heard was a dropped transmission. Now, we can order the parts and rebuild it but it will take a couple of days for the parts to get here. It's also not very cheap. My estimation is about a thousand bucks, parts and labor."

Eric's eyes went huge at this point. "A THOUSAND BUCKS? I'M DEAD, AGAIN!" Eric seemed like he was going to pass out again when Jackie recognized it and caught him. "Not this time, Foreman!" she snapped at him.

Jackie then went in her purse, fished out her credit card, and handed it to bud. "Here, put the down payment on this."

Eric had a relieved look on his face. Jackie's mood however, hadn't looked like it improved any. "Okay, I'll make a call and be right back." Bud said, taking the card into his office to use the phone.

"Thanks Jack…"

"I don't want to hear it Eric!" she responded. She then sat down in one of the waiting room chairs, arms folded and looking in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later…

Bud emerged from his office with another grim look on his face. Jackie rejoined them at the counter. "I'm sorry miss, but it seems your card has been declined. The company said that the card was cancelled."

Jackie looked ready to jump over the counter "DECLINED, CANCELLED? I'LL SHOW YOU DE…"

She was interrupted by Eric grabbing her by the arm. He whispered "Will you calm down?" with a bit of an edge in his voice. Jackie responded by leaving the shop in a huff and leaning against the front window.

Eric seemed nervous as he was twitching"Look, Bud, do you mind if I make a little phone call?" he asked nicely.

"Go ahead. The phone's right in the office."Bud replied, pointing to his office door.

Eric frantically went in the office.

Meanwhile, in the Foreman's Kitchen…

Hyde walked in the sliding door. What a day! He had just finished locking up the photo hut. Not to mention cleaning out the garage and mowing the lawn earlier. He was contemplating looking for places for rent in the paper when the phone rang. With a loud sigh Hyde picked up the phone "Hello?"

"Hyde it's me. I have to talk to my dad right away!"

"You are a dead man walking, Foreman. I try to keep your little secret but you get found out and take me down with you!"

"Wait, what?" Eric asked, confused and distracted for the moment.

"What on Earth were you doing at Jackie's and why did you take her with you?"

"I don't know but I wish I never had. Believe me!!"

"Well, her maid told her dad, who told Red already. Since I tried to be a loyal friend, Red now has me doing all YOUR chores. Believe me, when I see you again, revenge will be as sweet as Fez's candy!"

Eric let out a heavy sigh. Great, someone else is pissed at him! "Hyde, I am at an auto shop in Utah. I'm nearly out of Candy Land cash, Jackie's credit card got declined, and the transmission dropped on the Vista Crusier, so now I have to beg Red to send me money or we'll be stranded here! I think my situation's a bit worse!"

"Wait, did you say you're stranded with Jackie?" Hyde asked with a smile beginning to creep up his face for the first time all day. "That's good stuff Foreman. It only took you three days to mess up the Vista Crusier. I guess Fez owes me twenty bucks now."

Eric rolled his eyes "I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about things Hyde! Will you please get Red so I can get this conversation over with?"

Hyde replied with a laugh now "Sure hang on Foreman. Thanks for making my day. Later."

"Yeah, later." He replied, throwing his free hand in the air.

Eric waited a few moments before a voice spoke on the other side "Well, well, well, if it isn't the king dumbass himself!"

"Nice to talk to you too, dad."

"Eric, do you mind telling me what the HELL you were thinking before you left? We couldn't even let you cross the street until you were ten! Now you're crossing the country?"

"Daddy I'm in big trouble."

"Of course you are! It was only a matter of time. You want big trouble? Try being the one explaining to your mother why "Her Baby" left home!"

"Look dad, the transmission dropped on the Vista Crusier. It's going to cost a lot of money to fix and Jackie's credit card didn't work. We need help."

Red feigned shock. "No, really? That's too bad Eric. Especially since I talked to Mr. Burkhardt and told him to pay the card off and cancel it."

"Dad, what the hell?"

"See son, if you want to do things that adults do like go on long trips, then as parents we have no choice than to treat you like one. Being an adult means taking responsibility for your actions as well, which means it is up entirely to you and Jackie to get the car fixed by yourselves. Consider it a life lesson."

"But dad…"

"You're going to have to figure this one out on your own Eric. Besides, your mother and I are going to visit Midge in California next week. Going on a vacation was the only thing I could do to cheer up your mother so you've already cost me enough money this summer. If you stayed home you'd already know that Donna called asking for you as well."

Eric's eyes went wide. "Really? What did she say?"

"I don't know. She talked to your mother who is catching up on sleep she missed when she was crying about you! You're on your own son. If we don't see you out there in two weeks, call us and we'll talk again. Good luck."

"Gee, thanks a lot dad."

"Bye Eric." Then he was gone.

Eric hung up the phone and slammed his head on the desk.

A few minutes later in the lobby…

A dejected Eric walked out of the office not knowing what to say. Bud then asked him "Well how did it go?"

Eric saw that Jackie had come back in and was sitting in the waiting room. "Well, I called my father and he said he wants us to take responsibility for our own actions. He convinced (turning to look at Jackie) your father to cancel the credit card and told me that we had to figure something out for ourselves." He said with a heavy sigh. Jackie's mouth hung open in shock.

A look of sympathy spread across Bud's face before he spoke. "Look, you seem like a good kid who needs a break. I'll make you both a deal. If you work with me on rebuilding the transmission, I'll pay you what my guys make here and you don't have to pay for labor. That will knock over half the price off."

"That sounds grea…"

Jackie stood and interrupted "Eric? I think you're forgetting the last time your father needed help on the car a couple of years ago? Who actually did the work?"

Eric hung his head. "You did."Bud looked surprised.

Eric scratched his head with a nervous laugh. "But that was then. Look Bud, I'm willing to work hard for any break I can get. I'll take the deal, but we still have no place to stay. "

Bud responded "I usually don't tell people about this, but a few years ago, I worked on an old hitch trailer and made it into a place where I stay when I'm backed up at work. It has a bed, couch, a small kitchen, bathroom with a shower, the works! I'll let you guys stay there free of charge while you're helping work on the car. Do we have a deal?" Bud extended his hand.

Eric looked extremely relieved. "It's a deal." He then shook Bud's hand.

Jackie then screamed."A TRAILER? YOU GUYS WANT ME TO STAY IN A TRAILER? I'M JACKIE…Eric covered her mouth before she could finished.

"What she meant to say was that she always wondered what living in a trailer would be like." He covered for her. The daggers were burning a hole in Eric's head again.

"Why don't I help you with your stuff?" Bud asked as the three walked out of the shop to unload the Vista Crusier.

Ten minutes later in Bud's trailer…

Eric looked around the trailer. It was bigger than what he had envisioned as it was a pretty long length. There was a tiny kitchen with a mini fridge and a sink, a restaurant style eating table, and a small living room with a love seat and a small 13 inch tv. The small bedroom and bathroom were at the other end. He also noticed there were a couple of folding chairs on top of it as it seemed that Bud had made a makeshift deck out of it.

Bud handed Eric the key to the trailer. "Well, guess I better be getting home before the wife thinks I ran away. Get some rest, now. You begin work in the morning." Bud made his way out the door and nodded to a scowling Jackie. "It's nice to meet you, too." Jackie gave him a fake smile and wave as he exited the trailer, leaving them alone again.

Jackie went back to her scowl before speaking. "Well this is just PERFECT Eric. I can't believe I'm relying on a poor auto mechanic to provide my living space for the next few days. If that wasn't bad enough, it's in a TRAILER of all things? The worst part of all this is the fact is this is ALL YOUR FAULT!" she hissed at him.

Eric then tried to reason with her. "Jackie, take it easy. You should be thanking me. You're lucky I got us ANY place to stay at all given the circumstances!"

Jackie scoffed at this. "Well if that's what's you expected Eric, you obviously don't know me very well!"

That was it. That remark pushed him to his boiling point and beyond. He then started to yell. "Oh, I know you a lot better than you think! You're nothing but a superficial spoiled brat!"

"EXCUSE ME!" she yelled.

"You heard me! Come to think of it Jackie, all of this is YOUR fault anyway!"

"How does that make ANY sense at all Eric, I'm waiting!"

Eric just gave a mock laugh. "Don't you remember Jackie? It was YOU who set Donna up with Casey in the first place! If Donna doesn't go out with Casey, she never gets her heart ripped out the way she did last week and I actually get her back LONG before this trip is even necessary! So not only did you hurt me, somebody you were always trying to drive Donna away from, but it hurt her so much that she wanted to move away. That's some friend you are!" he yelled as he started for the door of the trailer.

Jackie's facial expression began to soften. "Eric, look…

It was too late as he spun around. "No, Jackie, you look! I can't believe what a self involved bitch you became today when a little tough luck was dealt our way! To think I was actually starting to…no, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because now I know who you really are! I have no idea what Donna or Kelso see in you as a best friend or girlfriend." Eric turned back towards the door and scooped up his journal.

Jackie's eyes were full now as she asked him. "Where are you going?"

Eric didn't look back as he answered "Anywhere that's away from YOU!" and slammed the door behind him.

Jackie just stood there stunned as silent tears began to flow down her face.

**A/N:** **Yeah, I know the ending was a bit harsh, but I promise I'll make up for it in future chapters! Also, to slightly borrow from a talented writer, my apologies to the state of Utah, as I completely made up the name of the town! Thanks for reading and if you like it so far, PLEASE let me know and leave a review! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is somewhat short, but I felt this was important to bridge the gap. Enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 5

_Well, you're getting a double allotment of Jackie time today, but I really wish you weren't. I'm trying to write over my tear drops right now as I'm really to figure out if I'm sad, upset, tired or maybe it's just all of the above. If you can believe it or not it's your favorite person, Jackie Burkhart , writing in here on the top of a TRAILER of all things!! Yeah, I know, I can't believe it either! Trailers are for poor people, not rich people like me. I'll tell you what happened, and perhaps I can come to some sort of conclusion as to what I'll do in the morning. _

_When I last left off with you, our favorite resident stick boy Eric Foreman, (By the way, he shouldn't be my favorite anything right now!) had just come out of the grocery store not too far from where we stayed the other night. Things seemed to be going well with us since my make up dinner on the terrace the night before. I think he may have even used the journal I gave him and I truly hope it helps him similar to the way you help me! Anyways, Eric must have had a daydream about our favorite lumberjack while grocery shopping because he was in a really good mood when he rejoined me in the car. He said he had a surprise for me and also let me listen to my ABBA cassette! Michael never let me do that! Excuse me for a second…_

_Sorry, I've just been crying a whole lot being an emotional wreck. I guess that's nothing really different about that, huh? Where did I leave off? Oh, yeah. So since he let me listen to my choice of music, I was nice and didn't complain as Eric put in his Styx cassette. What does he see in those guys anyway? I took a nap during that and he woke me up at a rest stop just over the Utah state border. He then revealed his surprise for me which was a picnic of his own for me! It was actually very thoughtful and considerate. We were having fun discussing old memories and…I know, I couldn't believe it either! The slim geek and I were actually enjoying each other's company. Hey, there's got to be a first time for everything, I guess._

_Okay, here's when things took a turn for the worse. It starts to rain on us and we have to book it back to the car. Eric (or at this point, I should really start to say dumbass) goes to start the car and do you think it started? Of course not! So instead, I'm stuck in the pouring rain in a car that is useless, then Eric decided to become useless himself. He passed out in the wake of all this and I revived him by slapping him across the face after muttering something about Star Wars shaped pancakes. What a mama's boy, huh?_

_If that isn't bad enough, a smelly, greasy, ugly old man in a tow truck who just happened to be inside pulls up next to us and offers us help. I had to bail into the rest stop lobby for a second because you know how it's below me to be around ugly people all the time. Eric comes and informs me how he accepted the offer and he's going with or without me! Excuse me Eric, but didn't we just have fun, and now you're abandoning somebody as popular as me ? I had to go with them to this guy's shop. What a smelly ride it was in that truck!_

_We got to the shop where Eric found out that the transmission dropped in his junk box. Bud (that's smelly man's name!) told us it would cost us a thousand bucks so I hand him daddy's credit card because I figured the sooner we get out of there, the better off everyone involved would be! What happened next was one of the most humiliating moments of my life. My credit card actually not only got declined, but daddy cancelled it on me! Eric then called home and said Mr. Foreman told my dad to cancel it because he wants us to take responsibility for our own actions. Doesn't Mr. Foreman realize that when you're born into a rich family, you don't have to take responsibility for anything? That's supposed to be the whole beauty of being rich! So we had no other choice but to work in this smelly shop if we hope to even arrive in California anytime soon._

_So here I am, on top of a trailer I'm staying in for the foreseeable future and I just got into one of the biggest arguments I've ever had. Nobody has ever spoken to me the way that Eric just did. I never knew he blames me for the state of his relationship with Donna. The only reason I set Donna up with Casey was to help her out since Eric was starting to date again himself. Does most eligible Viking ring any bells? _

_With that being said, it doesn't make me feel any better about what just happened. When a nice, really even keeled guy like Eric gets that upset at me, what does it say about me? He'll never believe it, but this hurts just as much as the moment I found out Michael left for California. I've always been able to confide in Eric in spite of our differences. The time I thought I was pregnant leaps right out there along with last week in the basement. There have also been countless times where I've dispensed my issues to Donna and he just sat there with us, took everything in, and provided me with another set of shoulders if necessary. _

_Even though it's just a couple of states away, California seems much farther away than it did in Point Place just a couple of days ago. Eric is the only recognizable person out here and I really need him right now. Not only that, but I'm poor now! I could really use some of that Jackie Magic I'm renowned for back home. Maybe I'll get inspiration in my dreams. Time for me to go. Hopefully things will be better next time._

_Love, Jackie_

Meanwhile…

_Dear Journal,_

_For a while I wasn't sure if I was going to write in you or have a little bonfire in the desert. I can't believe I just got this last night as an apology. Things were good between my rival and myself for about twelve hours and here we are again, back at square one. Maybe we're just not meant to get along, ever. I don't know._

_I guess I'll just make a long story short here. Things were going great, I even returned the picnic favor for Jackie and it turned out to be another circumstance where I got burned again for being a nice guy. I had a lot of fun with her right up until the transmission dropped in the Vista Crusier. Jackie reverted right back to her annoying cheerleader self as soon as things became bleak._

_Someone up there must be looking out for me though as this nice guy named Bud really saved us today. (Just a side note, what a really strange coincidence he has the same name as Hyde's father, who's caused him a lot of pain. I guess everything balances out in the end.) He was inside the rest stop and saw that we were in trouble, and took us in like he had known us for years. When I found out Red made we had to fend for ourselves, I was pretty stunned. Looking at it now though, I guess he made a good point. If he knew I had to work in an auto mechanic's shop to try to continue on this journey, he'd laugh his ass for so long that mom would probably have to kick him to the couch just to get some sleep._

_This brings me to Jackie. It is just so hard for me to figure out who she really is. One second we're having picnics and fun, then the next thing I know she turns into a spoiled, arrogant bitch. (Pardon my French!) I get that she's used to being rich and having her way all the time, I mean she did date Kelso for years! I got so upset tonight because I felt like I had a taste of the real Jackie Burkhart today and in the span of about five minutes she goes and holds true to every stereotype I've ever pictured her as. I did say some pretty awful things myself tonight, but I do realize I'm going to need her here. She is the closest thing to familiarity and home I have in this situation. I'll look forward to starting fresh in the morning. As for Donna, I hope you're enjoying your summer out there. It's going to be a long, cruel one for Jackie and me._

_Eric_

Eric hopped down from the top of the stone wall he was sitting on and let out a heavy sigh before surveying the scene. It was quite a neat thing to see the moon and the stars light up the mountain tops at night. The stone wall he was sitting on was at the back of what looked like a drive –in. _How cool would it be to see Star Wars here?_ He thought to himself before turning to walk back to the trailer.

20 Minutes later…

Eric walked past the closed shop and noticed one of the beach chairs on top of the trailer was occupied. He started to climb the ladder and when he reached the top, there was Jackie sound asleep in one of the chairs. She obviously had a tough night, as there was a box full of used tissues, her unicorn journal, and what looked like another book surrounding her chair. Eric picked up the book and the title read BUD'S GUIDE TO AUTO REPAIR. He chuckled slightly at this.

Eric picked up the tissue box and brought it into the trailer. He went into the bedroom and picked up a blanket and a pillow, and climbed back up top. Eric took a second to look at his surroundings, as Jackie was asleep under the stars with the moonlight reflecting off her face. _What a peaceful and pretty scene all at the same time. _He thought.

Eric then put the blanket on top of her and gently lifted her hear so he could slide the pillow underneath.

He hesitated for a moment before lightly kissing the top of her head.

"Good night Jackie."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here's chapter 6! This was going to be a bit longer, but decided to cut it in half as it works well where I left it off. I also to give all of you an update sooner, especially to my reviewers. You guys are great and I thank all of you for your kind words again, as they mean so much to me. Enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 6

The next morning…

Eric awoke and took in his new surroundings. He was really glad to put the nightmare that was the day before behind him? What did he know about auto repair anyway? If it meant he had to risk a little self humiliation in order to get to California, so be it. The bed in the small bedroom had provided a pretty good rest, though he thought it might be the only night he gets to sleep in it because of Jackie. _That's right. Jackie's still asleep up on top of our temporary home. If she gets sunburned, she's going to be more upset than she already is! I better get her up, quick! _Ending the thought, Eric jumped out of bed, not even bothering to make it, and ran out of the room. He was even more confused when he saw the blanket and pillow he gave Jackie during the previous night folded up on the loveseat. A terrible realization occurred when he glimpsed at the clock next. It was ten o'clock already! Eric was late for his first day of work!

In a state of panic, Eric raced towards his bag, got a tee shirt on, and tripped while trying to quickly get his jeans on. "Can't anything go right?" He yelled to the empty trailer. He then got up and raced out of the trailer and ran around front to the auto shop.

Eric pulled open the front door to the shop as quick as he could and was greeted by a very stern looking Bud. "So, I go and give you a job and a place to stay and you can't even be considerate enough to show up in time on your very first day? It looks like you're going to have to be..."

"Bud, please don't do it!" he shouted while falling to his knees.

Bud's face then changed from the stern looking business man and broke out into a huge state of laughter. "Oh, I really had you going there for a second, didn't I?"

Eric got up off the ground and looked very surprised. "That was a terrible joke Bud!"

"It may have been a terrible joke, but you have to admit Eric, it was a really good burn!" a voice Eric would recognize anywhere, replied from behind him.

Eric turned around to the smiling face of Jackie Burkhart. Eric couldn't believe the sight of her. She had on a similar looking mechanic's uniform to that of Bud, only there seemed to be butterflies drawn on in glitter and her name was written on in pink. She also had her hair up, tucked under a red bandana. Eric never thought he'd see the day that Jackie would look anything like this.

"I should have known." Eric said rolling his eyes. "When did you two get so chummy anyway?"

"I'll explain later." Jackie replied. "I have another customer out front who needs Jackie Time." Bud started laughing in response and Eric looked dumbfounded as Jackie took off out front.

Bud started to speak "She was here first thing in the morning, waiting for me with coffee and donuts from the place down the road for the guys and I. She also apologized for how she acted last night and that she had a good idea how she could benefit the shop." He then nodded for Eric to look out front.

Jackie was out font attending the gas pumps of all things! She was also washing the customer's cars while their gas was being pumped. She went around to the driver's window, and Eric could tell she was talking and laughing with the customer she waited on while performing the job. Jackie Burkhart looking like she was having fun working at _this_ establishment. Eric looked stunned. _What else could happen this summer?_ He thought to himself. Jackie waved to Eric through the window after she was finished with her current customer. This was going to be interesting.

Bud reverted to business mode. "Well, since you're the parts for the Vista Cruiser won't be here for another couple of days, why don't we start you off with a couple of oil changes in the garage. Get your uniform on there and Luke will help you get started." Eric, still not believing what he was seeing, went to the back room looking astonished.

A few hours later…

Eric had been shown the ropes and was about to try his first oil change. From the name of his trainer, he immediately began to think about Star Wars. _Eric was about to begin his first in a long line of quests to save multiple engine galaxies, including the Chevy and Ford galaxies from the evil forces of old oil. After an hour of training under Luke, (It was just another strange coincidence that the trainer's name was Luke!) young apprentice Foreman had accepted his first mission. _"I will not let you down. Peace shall reign in the Chevy Galaxy once more!" Little did Eric know, he had an audience looking on. _He reached up for the first of many battles he would have with the dark force, Darth Filter. He grabbed his Wrench Saber and started to pull on the filter. This one gave him quite a battle. One final tug and he had undone the filter, the galaxy would be saved! _Unfortunately, the thrill of victory would last about a millisecond for our young apprentice, as he was so entrenched in his battle that he forgot to set the pan to catch the oil. The oil made a beeline for the top of Young Foreman's cranium.

"OH NO!" he yelled as he scurried from his position as fast as humanly possible. He was even more horrified when he looked around him and saw Luke and Jackie looking on, unable to control their fits of laughter.

Luke handed Eric a towel and Jackie spoke. "Luke, it appears the force is not strong in your young apprentice here. What was it, the Star Wars fantasy again Foreman?"

"How'd you know?"

"Please Eric, you are way too predictable sometimes. Oh, there goes the service bell! I got another customer! "Jackie made her way past Luke and Bud, who just entered the garage laughing and shaking her head.

Bud made his way over to Eric. "Look, why don't you just take the rest of the day off. I'll pay you for the full day, but just get some rest and I have something else in mind for you tomorrow."

An oily and deflated Eric replied. "Sure Bud, I'll see you tomorrow." He then ran out of the garage and couldn't wait to hop in the shower.

An hour later…

_Dear Journal,_

_What in the world is going on around here? Has the whole world gone completely nuts? Last night, Jackie was everyone's mortal enemy and just twelve hours later she's everyone's best friend? I'm grateful to her for standing up for me this morning and letting me rest a little, but the way everyone else just bought into her act just seems strange to me._

_I felt like I was the clown in a three ring circus over at the shop today. I couldn't even get the hang of a simple oil change! If I can't do that, I might as well get a change of address at the post office because there's no way working on a transmission is in the cards for me. Bud says that he has a new task for me tomorrow. I can only imagine what that will be._

_Jackie seems to be in a much better mood today, but I still feel a bit of tension from last night with her. She really carried the load for me today, and perhaps I was wrong about some of the things I wrote about her in here last night. Oh, here she comes back from work! It looks like the inevitable conversation about last night is going to happen now. By the way, how did she know the correct Star Wars terminology that I was Luke's apprentice at work today? Did she actually pay attention when she saw it with Kelso a couple of years ago? She's so busted. I'll call her out on it when the time is right. I think I have the perfect plan. Here she comes up the ladder to the deck. I'll write again later._

_Eric_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** **Here is chapter 7. Hope everyone enjoys!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 7

Jackie said her goodbyes to Bud and the others for the day and she never thought she would enjoy working like that as much as she did. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. On the other hand, she was preparing to go back to the trailer and have the inevitable conversation with Eric. She had put off the conversation all day because she woke up and realized that she had no idea what to say to him or even where to start. She made a stop at the Vista Cruiser before she made the walk to their temporary home, grabbing something she saw in there previously that could use as a peace offering. Jackie then ran around the back of the shop and saw Eric sitting in one of the chairs writing of his journal of all things. She then began to ascend the ladder.

When she arrived at the top, Eric was just putting his journal down next to his chair. "See Foreman, I told you that it helps." Jackie remarked with a smirk.

"Yeah, it kind of does. Just don't ask me what I almost did to it last night. What's in the bag?"

Jackie wore a slight frown thinking back to the other night. "Just what little peace offering I could find out here in our situation. I rescued this from your car today before Bud starts working it." She handed Eric a brown bag and wore a smile when he looked inside.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I forgot about this. Hyde gave it to me right before I left and I completely forgot about it until now. Thanks for finding it."

Jackie waved him off. "First off Eric, you're not supposed to forget things until after you put this to use. I saw it there the other day when you were in the store. It works well here, as it gives us something to do later and I can avoid adding "jailbait" to the list of names I have for you."

"Ooh, there's a whole list. Now where would I go about finding this list? I knew there was something I should have read in there last night."

"Lucky for you, I know you're too nice of a guy to do that. That being said, I guess we need to talk about last night."

"Jackie, I'm…"

"No, Eric. Let me go first. Nobody has ever spoken to me like that before. I mean, look at my parents. They're usually too busy or can't be bothered getting that upset with me. Their ideas of solving my problems are asking who they should write the check to. This honestly is the first time in my life where money can't make this situation just go away. So when everything happened yesterday as they did, I freaked out! I had no idea how to react, and my defense mechanism was to take it out on those around me. I was wrong to do that, especially to you. For that I'm very sorry and hope you can forgive me."

Eric took in what was said for a moment. He seemed shocked that she opened herself up that much to him and then began to respond. "Look, Jackie…"

Jackie held up her hand as he was going to talk. "There's one more thing Eric. While I'm on my honesty kick, I have something else to say. Since nobody else we know is around, this is probably the only time I'll get to tell you this. I know it probably seems in your mind that I've taken you for granted. I've confided in you almost as much as I have Donna. You're such a genuine and sweet guy that you just listened and given me your opinion on whatever issue I'm having that day. It was never lost on me and it's the first time I can tell you that I really appreciate all the times you've done that for me. That being said, it really hurt me that you thought I was trying to keep you and Donna apart. I just want the both of you to be happy and if you guys make each other happy, all the better. I want you to know that I would never do that to you on purpose, and I'm truly sorry if you feel that way about that."

Eric opened his mouth but no words came out at first. He didn't want to mess his side of this up. She had been brutally honest with him and he chose his words very carefully. "Jackie, you didn't cost me my second chance with Donna. I'm learning about being responsible here, so I have to take responsibility for what my actions were back then. I took for granted that Donna's first date with Casey would bomb, but it didn't. I could have done everything perfectly from then up to now, and I would still have wound up here. I just lost my temper last night and was wrong to say that to you. I'm sorry it hurt you that much."

"Eric, there's no need for you to apologize for anything here."

"But Jackie, I feel so awful that you…"

"No, Eric I'm the one that should…"

"Really, it's me that…"

"No it's me…"

"ME..."

"ME…"

"ME…"

They stopped for a second and simultaneously started laughing. Eric spoke "Look at us. We're arguing now over who's the most sorry about last night."

"Leave it to us to find something else to fight about, huh Foreman?" Jackie replied with a smile.

"Look Jackie, whether we like it or not, we're a team now. Nobody else is going to be looking out for us here, so we have to stick together. When we get the Crusier fixed and get to California, we can go our separate ways if we want. Until then, it's us against the world. Can we make a deal to try to make this experience argument free from here on out? What do you think?"

"It's a deal Eric!" Eric extended his hand for Jackie to shake it but Jackie had another idea. "Foreman, friends don't shake hands, friends gotta hug!" With that, she pulled Eric into a warm embrace.

Eric would have enjoyed it more, but something about it bothered him. "Jackie, you smell like gasoline."

"I do smell like gas. So this is what it's like being a poor person, huh?"

Eric made a face. "Uh...something like that. Before I forget, thanks for speaking up for me with Bud this morning. You really saved me back there today."

Jackie smiled. "Yeah, I really did. But it was the least I could do, really."

"You really liked that today huh?"

"Yeah, I guess I kind of did. Bud's not a bad guy once you get talking to him. I better get showered and get this stench off of me. I am still Jackie Burkhart after all!"

Eric laughed. "You'll never let anyone else forget it, believe me! Do what you have to do so you can come back up here and we can enjoy your Vista Crusier finding."

"Okay. I'll only be a few minutes. Don't go anywhere." With that, Jackie made her way down the ladder.

Later that night…

_Guess what? You get Jackie time again! Not only that, but its happy Jackie time today. This seems like one of those days I'll look back on and say that it was a genuinely good day. Working at the auto shop actually suite me well. It's almost like cosmetics! Instead of people, I get to make cars look good by washing and waxing them. The pumping gas part in kind of smelly, but my cheerful personality gives my customers a moment of happiness in their otherwise dull existences without me._

_Things really worked out well between Eric and me today. I did save his butt this morning out of pity that I may have cost him sleep because of our fight the other night. When he did get to work it was clear that he is NOT cut out to be a mechanic at all! He was even having dome dorky Star Wars fantasy while doing an oil change if you can believe that! Bud felt so bad for him that he paid him to go home and rest._

_Things really happened with Eric and me when I got back from work. We had a really good talk about what happened last night and stumbled upon some common ground if you can believe that! That's not to say we didn't have any disagreements at all, but we both realize that we need each other if we're ever going to make it to California. I really opened up to him today, and he was a gentleman like he always has been. I'm relieved that he really doesn't blame me for the status of his relationship with Donna. I would never want to hurt him that much since he's done so much for me. I told him this among other things I've never told him before. Why is it so easy for me to open myself up to him like that? I shared more about myself with him today than I ever did the entire time when I was with…No, no, no. This is Steven's stash that I found in the Vista Crusier today talking. I don't know. _

_We just made soup and sandwiches for dinner, eating them quickly after enjoying the little treasure I found earlier. It was a lot of fun doing that under the stars and all. Eric's asleep up there right now, as the poor geek needs his rest. I get the bed tonight. I'll let you know if it passes the Jackie test later. I'll be back soon. Of course you're looking forward to it already, I know!_

_Love, Jackie_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Here is chapter 8! This was another chapter that was running long so I decided to split it up. A big thank you to my loyal reviewers (Marla's Lost, nannygirl, harmonious, Sharingan no saab)! You guys are great! Hope everybody enjoys!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 8

Jackie awoke the next morning in a good mood and looking forward to getting back to work. She got into her decorated work uniform and headed for the coffee shop, noting that Eric was still asleep on the top deck of the trailer. She returned with coffee and doughnuts and was about to climb the ladder to wake Eric up.

_Eric had somehow found his way back to the same California beach that he found himself on a couple of days ago. He looked confused at first, but could not contain his excitement when he heard the same voice as his previous visit here. "Eric!" It was definitely the voice of Donna! "Eric!" He began running towards the same house as his previous trip here. "Eric!" All of a sudden, Eric stopped in his tracks when he saw Bud standing on the porch. "Wait just a second Eric. What do you think you're doing here? You've got a job to go to and I still have to fix that car of yours. Don't even think about going in that door. Do you even care about what happened to Jackie out here? These issues aren't going to go away, son." The smile that had previously been on Eric's face deteriorates into an expression of all out panic! Eric turned around and started to run towards the ocean, only the ocean water had been replaced by waves of coffee! Eric then heard another voice "Eric, don't go in there, it's dangerous and I really need…"Eric fell over in shock. He heard a concerned voice. "Eric, Eric?"…_

Jackie was shaking Eric on the top deck in the chair he was sleeping on. This must be some intense dream he was having, as he could not hold still. All of a sudden, Eric jumped up and out of his chair with a big yelp, nearly knocking Jackie over in the process.

"Geez Eric, now that's quite the way to start your morning. Your twitchy self almost ran into me! Do you know how many people you would have disappointed today by robbing them of more Jackie Time?" Jackie asked with her eyes narrowing in on him.

Eric was still trying to catch his breath…"Oh…sorry…Jackie…you wouldn't…believe these …dreams I've been having lately."

Jackie looked concerned for a moment. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I guess its fine now. It must have been Hyde's gift to us from last night taking its toll. You got me a coffee?"

Jackie picked up one of the cups from the tray she had placed in the other chair and handed it to Eric. "Yeah, I don't know what Chuck the coffee guy would have done if I wasn't there to make his morning better!" she replied with a wink.

"I don't know Jackie. Coffee guys, we had a cheese guy earlier this year. You seem to have a tractor beam that reels in guys that sell food for a living." Eric remarked with a smirk.

Jackie shook her head and swatted Eric's arm. "Shut up Foreman. One more remark and I'll have to throw you off this trailer."

Eric contemplated this for a moment. "Uh…I think I'll just get ready for work instead."

"Good choice."

Eric then climbed down the ladder to get ready for the work day.

A few minutes later…

Eric and Jackie entered the auto shop, ready for another work day. "Good morning, you two." Bud said with a smile from behind the counter. "How are you feeling Eric? I'm happy to see you up and ready on time today."

"Oh that's because of me Bud! I had to use force, in this case, yelling and the smell of coffee! By the way, here's breakfast for you and the other guys," Jackie handed the remaining contents of the coffee tray to Bud.

"Thanks Jackie."

"My pleasure, Bud. Oh look, somebody else who can't stand to live life without my sparkling personality!" Jackie then went out front to greet her first customer of the day.

This left Bud and Eric alone. "We got a call from the parts company earlier Eric. The parts to fix your transmission will be here tomorrow morning."

Eric smiled. "Thanks Bud. That's great news. But do you mind me asking what in the world I'm going to do today. I tried the auto repair thing and that was pretty much a disaster, huh?"

Bud gave a slight chuckle. "I'm not going to argue that one. Jackie did warn me yesterday. She told me the story about how she helped your dad work on your car once."

"Of course she told you that story. There are many more like it. Did she tell you any of them?" a slightly annoyed Eric asked.

"No she didn't but that's not important. I think I found a job for you. Come with me." Bud led Eric into his office. There was a small closet full of shoeboxes piled up inside. Eric looked unsure about this. Bud then spoke again. "Eric, I may be an expert on fixing cars, but when it comes to the business end and keeping things organized, I don't even know where to start. I figures you could figure out some way to organize these records in that file cabinet over there. You'll be paid the same and there may be a small bonus for saving my life here. Do we have a deal Eric?"

Eric breathed a sigh of relief and looked horrified at the same time, if that was even possible. He shook Bud's hand. "It's a deal. It may take a while, but this is one job I can do."

"Well, good luck Eric. Let me know if you have any questions." Bud then left to head back to the garage.

Eric just took a moment to size up the massive pile of shoeboxes that lay in front of him. "What have I got myself into?" He asked the empty office before starting the job.

A couple hours later…

Eric was doing pretty well after working on the labels first for Bud's new file cabinet. What he didn't expect, however, was the office phone ringing often full of customers wanting to make appointments for repairs. _Bud never said anything about playing secretary too. He thought._ Despite all the distractions, Eric made it through a decent amount of shoeboxes before he heard another distraction enter the room.

"So, there IS a job around here for nerds like you after all!"

"Yeah, and there's also a job here for annoying cheerleaders also!"

"Shut up Foreman! If you were one of my dear customers, you'd love me too. Besides, look at all the gratuity money I made today!" Jackie flashed her tip money at Eric.

"Jackie, this is like fifty bucks! So where do I get my dance ? Burn!"_Uh,oh. I seem to have hit a nerve._

"I ought to slug you for that one Foreman! That was so not a good burn. I guess I've got to…"

"Jackie, wait. I'm sorry that was just a bad joke, that's all. Besides, look at what my life consists of for the next few hours of my life." She turned to look at the shoeboxes and her eyes went wide.

"Well, it looks as if you have your work cut out for you Eric! I'm going to go and…"

"Jackie, do you plan on doing anything with that fifty bucks today?"

"No, why?"

"I just had something in mind for us to do tonight. You know, get out of the trailer and away from here for a while. What do you think?"

Jackie gave him an evil looking (well, at least to Eric at the moment!) smirk. "I don't know Foreman. It almost sounds a lot like a…"

Eric's hand sprung up immediately. "Don't even say it Jackie! Besides, who would believe it anyway? Us on a…well…let's call it that that shall not be spoken of."

"Eric, you're twitching again! Stop please, it's annoying! We can go out later, that's fine. But, I better get my fifty bucks worth out of you tonight!" Jackie then started laughing at her own joke. "Burn!"

"That was SO not funny Jackie. I'll see you at home later! I need a break." Eric then booked it out of the room.

"Bye, Eric." Jackie was laughing even more at his dramatic exit.

Later that day…

_Dear Journal,_

_It seems that I've beaten Jackie home, so I figures I'd write a line or two for a moment. Bud gave me a new task today. It appears that I am now Eric Foreman, office boy now. It was quite tedious work, but I guess it beats having oil poured on my head every day that I'm here. _

_I'm waiting for Jackie to get home. We're going to go hang out later. I was going to take her to where I wrote in you the other night. However, I don't want to give her the wrong idea that we're going on a…that word that must not be stated. I just wanted to get out of this trailer for a while, but she immediately tried to make it seem I was asking her on…that unspoken thing. This is all her fault, trying to make me uncomfortable. She's still the devil and this thing is cursed after all! Oh no, here she comes. I might write later if I don't decide to burn this thing first. Either way, I guess it's going to be an interesting evening. _

_Eric_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** **I have to admit that this one was a lot of fun for me to write. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. Also, just in case I don't get to update before then, I'd like to wish my fellow american readers a happy and safe Thanksgiving! Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 9

Eric nervously paced around the trailer. He just wanted to get out of the trailer and have a night out since he spent most of the previous day around here. He thought he was being a nice guy by inviting Jackie along, and she acts like any typical other one of…them. Eric thought he and Jackie were past all that anyways. After all wasn't the purpose of the trip to solve their unresolved business with their former signifagant others in California? Eric knew he was probably overreacting, but he decided that he needed to find a way out of this, and quick. Just as Jackie opened the door to come out, Eric thought fast and grabbed the box of tissues and a blanket, jumping into a curling position on the loveseat.

Jackie called out "So, are you ready to go Eric?" while turning around from one last look at herself in the mirror. Eric didn't respond. "Eric?" She called out again before seeing him curled up on the love seat. She then yelled. "ERIC!!"

Eric rolled over in the loveseat and spoke in his best sick voice "Uh, I'm suddenly not feeling that well Jackie. I think I'm coming down with something. So it looks like I won't be able to take you"…Eric looked up only to see that Jackie wasn't there. "Jackie?" before there was a response, Eric felt himself flying off the couch, landing with a thud on the cold, hard floor. Eric turned around and looked up and saw Jackie standing there, hands on her hips and glaring down at him. _Oh. This is why Kelso let her have control the whole time they were together. She may have done that to him, but not me! _"Jackie, what the hell was that!?!?"

"Zip it Foreman. Just because the last couple of days have gone better for us, it seems you need a reminder as to who I am. I'm Jackie Burkhart, remember! My time is way more valuable than a normal person's time. I took the time to get ready to go out, so we're going out and that's final. I expect to get full value out of my tip money today so stop clowning around, get off your dumb ass, and go get ready! You have five minutes." Jackie then stood there with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.

Eric slowly got to his feet. "Wow! I think my sinuses just cleared up! But if it comes back, you can explain to Bud why I'm bed ridden tomorrow!"

"Duly noted Eric. Now go get ready!"

"Fine!"

Five minutes later…

Eric emerged from the bedroom and noticed that Jackie was waiting outside. He realized that she was probably right that he was making a bigger deal about this than it actually was. Eric took a deep breath and stepped out the door to meet Jackie.

It was a pretty warm evening, as Jackie pointed out that they probably wouldn't want to be walking around during the day for too long in the desert setting. "Eric, I would actually sweat! It would interfere with all around me telling me how pretty I look!"

"You seem to do okay working outside all day." Eric pointed out.

"You're forgetting that part of the deal is washing cars. I get to spray myself with a hose when I get too warm out there. Besides, being a little wet definitely gets all those people who love me to just tip me more."

Eric had a mental image at this point that was causing his cheeks to burn a small tinge of red. Jackie started to take notice and simply asked him "What?"

Eric started to look all around him nervously. "Huh?"

"What's with that look you're giving me?" Jackie asked with a smirk.

"What look? Look? I wasn't giving any…OW!" Eric was so nervous about this current line of questioning that he didn't pay attention to where he was going and he walked straight into a stop sign.

Jackie couldn't help bursting out into a fit of laughter, as it looked like a scene straight from a slapstick comedy movie. After a moment, she stopped him and grabbed him by the hand "Oh my god, are you okay?" She then started to look at the top of his head to look for any damage. Luckily enough for Eric, there were no marks on his face.

"I'm fine, really Jackie. I knew this was a bad idea!"

"Oh, suck it up there soldier. Actually no, you'd make a really weak soldier. You're just lucky I'm here to keep my eye on you!" Jackie said while wrapping her arm around Eric's side to guide him along as he shook off the effects of the blow to his face.

Eric could only roll his eyes. "Oh yeah. It's just my dream come true. He remarked sarcastically.

"I know!" Jackie responded with a giggle as they continued down the road.

A couple of minutes later, they arrived at a hamburger and hot dog stand, where they would apparently me eating that evening's dinner. "Fast food again Eric? You should know that eating all this is not good for my pretty looks."

"At this rate, I don't really see any other choice here. Besides, I'm living off your tip money tonight so I was trying to watch the budget."

"That actually makes sense for a change. So this is what it's like not to be rich. Thanks for being considerate I guess."

Eric shrugged. "It's been known to happen every now and then. Besides, the better part of the evening is still to come….um, that's if I can manage to stay in one piece."

"So you're telling me it's a fifty-fifty chance that we actually make it all the way through this d…uh, I mean outing."

Eric noticed her near slip but chose to ignore it since he had to stand up for himself "Be quiet Jackie. But please don't go anywhere just in case I choke while we're eating."

"I'll be on lookout, I promise." Jackie responded with a laugh.

"Good. Let's eat."

Half an hour later…

Dinner went off without a hitch and the pair was back on their feet getting ready to go to the next stop on their d…oh yeah, outing. Eric insisted that they stop at the convenience store down the road from the burger stand to get popcorn and sodas before coming to a stop at their next destination.

Jackie had a confused look on her face. "Oh this is just great. Eric, we're in front of a drive in theater you idiot! There's no way we can get in without a car and the last time I checked, your car was still at our workplace waiting for a transmission!"

Eric just laughed and shook his head. "It amazes me how much you underestimate people sometimes. Come on!" He took her hand and ran around the perimeter of the theater until they arrived at the same wall he sat writing in his journal a couple of nights ago when they first got stranded. He climbed up the same stone wall with the bag of food in hand and held his hand out for Jackie to grab it.

Jackie huffed and had to speak. "Eric, you never warned me there would be climbing involved in this so called great place of yours."

Eric threw up his hands and spoke "Just take the hand Jackie. I promise it will be worth it."

Jackie still looked skeptical. "The last time I listened to one of your promises, I wound up here in the first place!" she reminded him before taking his hand and letting him help her scale the wall.

Jackie was still trying to get her bearings about her and was muttering "Now Eric, what was the big deal about…" Jackie then settled in and saw the scene in front of her. It was like something out of a movie itself. The full moon and all the stars lit up the mountaintops in the background. Below them she could see everybody parking their cars and some others going back and forth from the food stand. Eric looked on amused as he saw Jackie's eyes light up as she looked on. She turned back to him "Eric, this is amazing! How did you ever find a spot like this?"

"Well, it's actually because of you that I know about this spot. The other night when I had to take my walk, I was wandering around and wound up here. It was the most peaceful place I had seen all that day and I thought it would be a good escape for us to come here tonight and forget about everything else back there for a while. All that and now we apparently get to take in a movie. I'm glad we made the stop on the way for refreshments!"

Jackie just looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the moonlight. "Eric, this is the most thoughtful and ro…just the best thing anybody's done for me in quite a while, so thank you!" Jackie then extended her arm to Eric and leaned her head against his shoulder and stayed in this embrace for a moment.

"I do what I can."Eric then put his arm around her without really realizing he had done so. He was actually enjoying Jackie's scent. Was that some kind of strawberry shampoo? Whatever it was, it was driving him…

"OH MY GOD!!" Jackie screamed suddenly when she looked at the movie screen and realized they were starting that new Travolta movie that she wanted to see. Just some little movie called "Grease"! "Eric, this is great! She clapped her hands and went to hug him. "Thank you so much for…"

"AHHH!"

Eric fell and landed on the ground, hard. Jackie was so excited about the movie that she went to try to hug him again and didn't see him taking a sip of his soda. She moved so quick that instead of wrapping her arms around him, she missed and got him in the side of his face instead. The impact was so quick that Eric lost his balance and fell off the wall!

Jackie turned around frantically and jumped off the wall. "Eric, are you okay?" she asked.

A groggy Eric just laid there. "Oh yeah, Never been better."

Later that night…

Jackie and Eric, who was sporting an ice pack on his head now, just arrived back at the trailer. "Thank you Eric for taking me out tonight. I had fun, despite your clumsiness."

"My clumsiness? You decked me right off the wall!"

"Eric! I paid the price for that too! I had to miss the first twenty minutes of "Grease" because I was tending to you!"

"For the record, if I knew that was going to be the movie, I would have taken you there another night. My head really wishes I did that too!"

"Come on Eric! Don't pretend like I didn't see you nodding along to the music, and were you snapping your fingers too."

"What? No! If anything like that happened, it was because I was delirious from the blow to the head, that's all." The wheels started turning in Eric's head. "Although, I may be able to admit something if you just confess something of your own."

Jackie looked taken aback for a moment. "And what would that be Eric?" _Is he really about to…_

"You admit to me right here and now that you have been a closet Star Wars fanatic all along!"

"WHAT! That's ridiculous Foreman! What would make you even think that!"

"The other day at work. Luke was training me in oil changes. I heard you distinctly call me Luke's apprentice! Only a fan of the movie would use the correct terminology. So you can tell me right here that you actually _did_ pay attention all those times Kelso took you to see it!"

Jackie stood there with a piercing look and her arms folded. "I admit nothing."

"Okay, then. I admit nothing either!"

"Fine."

"Fine!"

They shared a look like they wanted the other one to stop being so stubborn until Eric broke the silence. "So I guess you want the bed tonight?"

Jackie shook her head. "It's okay. You can have it. It will give you a chance to nurse that injured wound of yours. I'm going to head to the deck for a while."

"Okay. Good night Jackie."

"Good night Eric." Eric started to walk towards the trailer when Jackie spoke up again. "Eric?"

Eric turned around. "Yeah?"

Jackie ran up to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for tonight. I had fun."

"Me too. Well, sort of." Eric held up the ice pack and they shared a laugh.

The laugh ceased and there was an awkward silence as the pair shared the same gaze at each other.

Eric snapped himself out of it and started back towards the trailer. "Good night." He then disappeared into the trailer.

"Good night."

About an hour later…

_More Jackie time for you. Yay! I've been sitting here trying to figure out what just happened here tonight. The skinny, twitchy boy that has always been my nemesis just showed me one of the nicest nights out I've ever had with anyone. It was painful for him but that was partially my fault, since I accidentialy knocked him off a wall while watching Grease. That's right, I got to see Grease! It was as great as I thought it would be! Eric wouldn't admit that he liked it too, and even tried to get me to admit that I liked Star Wars. Can you believe that? He's going to pay for that one. Seriously though, it really felt like a date the whole way through. There, I said it! (Or at least wrote it anyway.) I'm supposed to be figuring things out about Michael and we're supposed to be lumberjack hunting for him. I'm so confused right now and have no idea what to do. I'll look for a sign. Maybe the answer is in the stars up there. It's worth a shot, right? I'll be back later, don't cry too much!_

_Love, Jackie_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday and I'm very excited about continuing this story. Hope you all enjoy Chapter 10.**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 10

_Dear Journal,_

_I don't even know where to begin this time. It's been a long, very painful (literally!) day and no how much I have tried I just can't sleep. I did fall off a wall earlier tonight, and I have a throbbing headache, so that doesn't help much. I'm sure the ol' noggin's not getting any better due to this lack of rest. I've had to use it to think about the night out I had with none other than the little journal jinxer herself, Jackie Burkhart._

_The whole point of this trip in the first place was to get Donna Pinciotti, the love of my life back. During the past few days, it seems that things aren't exactly going according to plan. (But I'm sure you already knew that!) I asked Jackie to come out for the night because I thought it would be fun to get out of this small little trailer for a while. I should have known being who she is, that she would take my invitation as something more than it actually was. I even tried to play sick to get out of this mess, but being the forceful midget that she is, dumped me off the couch and made me take her out._

_That shouldn't be such a problem for me. I mean, she has spent countless hours with me in my basement, but she's usually been either dating Kelso or telling Donna and myself her mini drama of the week which usually never involved me directly. It seems that the second I asked her if she wanted to come along, I indirectly invited all the drama along with me. I never expected things to go so wrong with the Vista Crusier and now the only familiarity we have is with each other. If things went according to plan, we never would have gone out earlier and we'd still be mortal enemies and the stars would remain aligned and the universe still in tact along with it. _

_Ever since our fight a couple nights ago, Jackie has been walking around treating everyone like they're her new best friends. I normally wouldn't say anything, but Jackie has never been this consistently nice to people, EVER. Even while we were out tonight, she showed so much concern when I had my misfortunes. She even gave up her cold soda can so I could use it as an ice pack on my head after falling off the drive in wall. I've never seen her give a single possession up for the benefit of somebody else before. The Jackie Burkhart I've spent the last couple of days with is much different than the one who's been in my basement since she started to date Kelso a couple of years ago. I just would like to know then the real Jackie Burkhart is going to stand up._

_But that's the issue as well. I've spent so much time dissecting Jackie here that I have lost sight of the true purpose of everything here- to get to California and reunite with Donna. I think it's time to regain my focus and let things play out with Jackie as they may. The parts to fix the car are arriving today, so we'll only have a couple more days here and this nightmare will be over for us both. Hell, it's only a few hours early, I might as well take some medicine and get a jump start on Bud's files right now. From now on, I'm just going to focus on the task at hand. That task is getting to California- and nothing else. Take care._

_Eric_

The next morning…

Jackie awoke as the bright sunrise started to shine in her eyes on the deck. She awoke looking at the scene in front of her as she began a thought. _This town's name is Sunrise, right? No wonder I like it here. They named the town after something that's almost as pretty as I am! _Jackie gave a sigh of self satisfaction and rose from her chair. She climbed down the ladder to get ready for the day ahead of her.

Jackie opened the door to the trailer and noticed the bedroom door was closed. She couldn't help but put a small smile on her face as she thought back to the night before. Yes, Eric was clumsy as ever, perhaps he even made Kelso look coordinated for that moment, but she had a great time nonetheless. She changed in the bathroom into her uniform and thought of how Eric's head was probably pretty sore this morning. After taking a moment to consider waking him up, Jackie smiled as she thought of another idea. She gathered what was left of her tip money from last night's "outing", and headed for the door.

About twenty minutes later, Jackie returned to the trailer feeling very proud of her idea. She walked down and gave Chuck the coffee guy his Jackie fix for the day and had coffee and pastries in hand for breakfast. She went into the kitchen and set the contents of her trip on a tray, along with getting a couple of asprin and a cup of water. She walked with the tray towards the bedroom door and started to knock at the door with a smile "Hey sleepy head, I have breakfast and since I figured your head wouldn't be feeling…" The smile came right off her face when she looked up after opening the door and looked up. Jackie was talking to an empty room.

A few minutes later…

A perplexed Jackie didn't know what to make of Eric being gone already. She put his pastry in a bag and headed out front to the shop. She didn't see anybody in the lobby and found Bud and his mechanics surrounding the Vista Crusier in the garage. "Good morning boys." She said like a smile.

Bud looked up and stepped away from the Vista Crusier. "Morning, Jackie. As you can see, we just got the parts to fix the car this morning. You guys should be ready to go and as good as new the day after tomorrow."

"Thanks Bud, that's great news." Jackie smiled at this bit of news. "Listen, have you seen Eric? He already gone when I woke this morning and I got him…"

Bud stopped Jackie from walking towards the office. "Um, yeah…listen Jackie, Eric kind of locked himself in there and said he did not want to be disturbed by anyone."

Jackie shrugged and started to continue towards the office. "Well, I'm sure he won't mind since I got him…" Bud stopped her again.

"Jackie." Bud started again. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…"

"But what?" Jackie asked with an alarmed look.

"Eric specifically asked that we keep you out of the office today."

"Oh." Jackie reacted with a tinge of hurt in her voice. "Oh. Well…just give him this and I guess I'll talk with him later."

"Sorry Jackie."

"Whatever." She responded, trying not to give away that anything was bothering her. She then walked out to start her job, all the bounce in her morning step had completely vanished.

An hour later…

Things weren't going well today for Jackie. She knew Eric was avoiding her and it had a definite effect on her work performance today. _Why is he doing this? Doesn't he know who I am? I'm Jackie Burkhart, damn it! I should just go back there right now and kick his bony little…._

Jackie's thought was interrupted by the next customer pulling up. This guy was in a pickup truck that was covered in sand and dirt. The customer rolled down the window and said "Could you fill it up and give it a wash and wax. "Whatever." Jackie said with a scowl.

About five minutes later, no matter how much or how hard Jackie was washing, it seemed completely impossible to clear the truck of all the dirt completely. She got interrupted again.

"Excuse me miss, could you hurry this thing up please? I'm not getting any younger. Or maybe you should take your proper place in…"

_That was it._ "You know what, get bent. You're too gross, poor, and ugly for me to finish this job for anyway!"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me?"

"That's it. I want to speak to…"

Bud heard what was going on and stepped outside. "Jackie, why don't you go inside and take a break."

"Fine!" Jackie stomped off and went inside.

While waiting for Bud to settle the dispute outside, Jackie was looking at the bulletin board full of advertisements so she wouldn't go back out and do anything she regretted. Suddenly, her eyes lit up when she saw one ad in particular. She took the ad off the board with a smirk and put it in the front pocket of her uniform. _Why get mad when you can get even?_

Bud then entered the shop. "It took a lot for me to get that guy out of here. I can tell he was a jerk, but it's apparent that you're not in the right state of mind to be doing this job today. Why don't you just take the rest of the day off?"

"Fine, I'll go. But I need a favor from you first." Jackie responded with a small smile for the first time in a few hours.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Go into the Vista Crusier and get the red bag out of there for me." She gave Bud a mysterious grin.

"Sure, I'll be right back."

Bud returned a few minutes later laughing all the way while holding the bag. "Let me guess. Payback." He gave Jackie an understanding nod.

"Bingo! See you tomorrow!" Jackie gave a laugh in response as she exited the workplace with the red bag in tow.

A few hours later…

Jackie was sitting outside the trailer guarding the entrance. There was no way Eric was going to avoid her when he returned. She had taken the contents of the red bag and put them in a paper bag so Eric wouldn't suspect anything. She had no clue that he used or was capable of using what was now in the brown bag.

Eric had just finished the day at work, happy to have a lot of work to do to keep his mind off of all that was going on around him. He knew he would have to deal with Jackie, as the story of her with the rude customer had made the rounds at the workplace. _She must be in some kind of mood._ To his surprise, he was sitting in front of the trailer, waving and smiling when he came walking up.

He held up his hand "Look Jackie, I know you must be pretty upset about my actions this morning, but I want you to know…"

Jackie just interrupted him with a mysterious grin. "Eric you expected me to just get mad? You're going to wish I just got mad. Thanks to the rudest customer ever, I…"

"Yeah, I heard about him. It sounded like you gave him what he deserved anyway."

Jackie continued. "I did. But thanks to him, I stopped being mad at you for whatever reason you were avoided me and decided to get even instead." The mysterious grin had turned more evil looking to Eric by the second.

He gulped, hard. "Even?"

"Yes Eric, even. Look at this. You're going to help me win!"

Eric looked at the ad just given to him and gave a nervous laugh. "Jackie, you know I never have done this before, and I wouldn't be any good at…"

Jackie just laughed. "You're right. The Eric Foreman I know, or I at least thought I knew wouldn't stand a chance. But, I bet that…" Jackie stood and fished into the brown bag.

Eric knew what was coming now. "OH NO!"

Jackie ignored this cry and continued on. She pulled out the contents of the bag. "RAINBOW would have a much better chance in a Roller Disco Dance Off tomorrow night!"

Eric's face turned bright crimson. "How'd you find those?" He managed to squeak out.

"Never leave a girl alone in your car while you grocery shop. Now the way I see it is you either put a full effort into this competition as my partner tomorrow, or all of Point Place knows this little secret as soon as we return there! Got it? Now once you're done twitching out here, come inside ad we'll have dinner and talk about our act for tomorrow! Okay? See you inside!" Jackie then threw Eric his roller skates (with the name RAINBOW in big lettering down the sides of both skates) at him and headed for the trailer with a look of satisfaction on her face.

Eric looked at his skates, shaking his head and collapsing in the chair. "What could possibly happen next?" He asked the sky above and buried his head in his hands.

**A/N: Okay, I know the Rainbow episode wasn't until S7, but I wanted to work it in the story as it does have a purpose. If I go with the pretense that Eric kept the roller disco thing a secret from everyone for years, then it kind of makes sense. It's the first time I've had to make a bit of a stretch like this, so please forgive me for it. Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** **I'd just like to extend a giant thank you to all my readers, alerts, and reviewers as I had the best overall response in both traffic and reviews after I posted the previous chapter! I especially want to thank my reviewers again (Marla's Lost, harmonious, Sharingan no saab, nannygirl, jameron4eva)! This one's for you guys. Enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 11

_I've told you before and I'm sure I'll tell you (many times!) again that Eric Foreman is a dumbass! He actually thought that I would let him purposely avoid me for an entire day without paying a price? He should know through many years of observations that he was fighting a losing battle. I'm Jackie Burkhart and I always have my revenge!_

_As you can tell, I'm back and I know you love it! I can't believe I was starting to become subservient to that skinny beanpole yesterday. One little fall off a wall and I start to feel responsible? What made it worse was that he fell when I was trying to hug him. Since when is having a sip of soda more important than being on the receiving end of a hug from ME? It serves him right that he fell off that wall! The other horrible thing about it was that I began playing nurse to him right after he fell. I probably reminded him of his mommy. I have told you numerous times about how much of a mama's boy he is._

_When I wrote you last, I thought we had an understanding that we had to take care of each other while we were stuck here. Having that in mind, I went to get him breakfast and asprin for his headache and believe it or not he wasn't in his room. I go to work and Bud tells me that he shut himself in the office on purpose to avoid me! Doesn't he know that everyone is supposed to love me and not try to avoid me! It was not a good day at work since I told off a customer that was being an even bigger dumbass than Eric was._

_I'm glad the poor, ugly person showed up when he did because I would have never seen my revenge staring right me at the bulletin board in the shop! I couldn't believe this town had a roller disco place, and it has a big competition tomorrow. Unfortunately for Eric, he never learned the lesson to leave me alone in his car. He was grocery shopping before we got stuck here and I noticed the bag while I was writing in you for the first time while on this trip. I'm so happy I kept that in my pretty little head and now was the perfect time to use it against him. _

_Now if you thought that Jackie Burkhart was NOT going to use blackmail when it was easily at her disposal, you just don't know her at all. The look on Eric's face was priceless when I showed him the roller skates after work last night. It was even better when I told him that I would tell all our friends back home about his little secret unless he agreed to be my partner in tomorrow's competition. Extracting my revenge in that manner was oh too sweet!_

_I did have to endure a TON of whining and complaining all through dinner tonight, so to shut him up I made us have our dress rehearsal last night! He almost looked good in the white tee shirt and the red and yellow suspenders. I then thought if his name is Rainbow then who better to be the pot of gold at the end of it than me? I'm still surprised that he's coordinated enough to skate, never mind doing roller disco! It was pretty fun watching him show me a few basic moves out there last night. He was really good. I know! I'm as shocked as you are. _

_Now I'm thinking that this may even be fun tonight. I had to blackmail him so he would stop avoiding me anyway. Do you know how bored I would be out here without having him to talk to? Besides, we had a good time the other night, so I thought this would be my selection for an evening activity. If I knew any better I'd say that I successfully blackmailed him into taking me…Forget it, I must be really tired if I'm thinking like that. I'll be back soon with more Tales From The Lumberjack Hunt._

_Love, Jackie_

The next morning…

Eric knocked on the bedroom door with a tray full of coffee and breakfast in hand. "Jackie, wake up." He said while setting the tray down on the nightstand.

Jackie began to stir and her eyes flipped open to a tray with coffee and a pair of English muffins that Eric had made staring her right in the face. "Er-…Eric...Is that you?"

"Of course it is. How's my favorite person in the history of people doing this morning? I made a special breakfast just for you." Eric answered being a little_ too_ nice.

_Something here stinks._ Jackie was wide awake now. "Forget it Foreman! We're still doing the Roller Disco competition tonight and that's final." She snapped.

Not the response Eric was hoping for "Yeah..well…you better eat that quick because you're going to be late for work missy!" he yelled before charging out of the room and slamming the door.

Jackie just laid there laughing for a moment before starting on her breakfast.

A few minutes later…

Jackie and Eric walked in the shop ready for another work day. Only this time they were greeted by Bud and the rest of the garage mechanics waiting for them. When Eric opened the door and entered the shop after holding the door for Jackie, Bud spoke into his hand like it was a microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, all the way from Wisconsin, I give you RAINBOW!!" Eric's face instantly looked like a tomato while the rest of the shop broke out in laughter.

Eric turned to Jackie "Jackie, you told all them about this?" he asked alarmingly.

Jackie gave a smirk in response. "Eric, I had to! How else was I going to get the bag out of the Vista Crusier?"

The rest of the guys turned to go back to work as Bud spoke up. "Sorry, Eric. You locked yourself in the office yesterday so I couldn't ask you if it was okay."

Eric glared at Jackie and remarked "Yeah, I'm liking this idea less and less by the minute." Just then, he gave a look like a light bulb went off in his brain. "Uh, huh! We can't do this tonight, Jackie! Nice try, it was a good effort getting me all worried and everything!" Eric gave a look of triumph.

Jackie stood there with a pout on her face and her arms folded. "So tell me oh wise one, why won't this work."

Eric smiled "You see Jackie, Funtown is on the other side of town. Last time I checked, the Vista Crusier is being worked on until tomorrow at closing, giving us no means of transportation there. That was a good one, it almost worked."

Bud tapped Eric on the shoulder. "Eric…Jackie sort of called me at home late last night and asked to borrow the truck so you guys could go tonight. The wife is picking me up later." Jackie gave Eric a look that said _"I've got you now!"_

Eric threw his arms up and stomped towards the office. "Fine! Don't interrupt me again today!" he yelled back while slamming the office door.

Bud then remarked "Somebody's got to calm that boy down." Jackie shook her head smiling and thought _If only Mr. Foreman could see his son now! _She then went outside to begin what would be a much better work day.

At the end of the work day…

Jackie entered the office where Eric was tending to a paper cut he had recently got while putting files away. Eric saw her at the door and smiled while holding his hand up to show off his injury. "Oh, darn it Jackie! I seem to have cut my hand and it seems I'm no longer able to do Roller Disco tonight."

Jackie just shrugged. "Okay." She then walked to where the phone was on the desk and picked up the receiver.

Eric looked suddenly concerned. "Wait, what are you doing?"

Jackie smirked. "Why, calling Hyde and Fez of course! I'm sure they'll love to hear about their friend's new…"

Jackie was interrupted by Eric grabbing the base of the phone off the desk, dragging her by the cord with it. "Jackie, give me the phone!" The battle now became a tug of war over the phone. "Say you're going tonight, Eric!" This continued for another minute as the pair became entangled in the phone wires. Suddenly, Eric slipped on a piece of paper that fell to the floor during this scuffle. He lost his footing, and instinctively grabbed Jackie and the pair fell to the floor with her landing on top of him and their faces inches apart.

As they tried to regain their breath, that gaze that was shared many times over the past few days was back again. Eric broke out of the trance first, letting a defeated sigh escape him as he rest his head of the floor. "Okay Jackie, you win. Let's go back and get ready."

Jackie gave him a smile "Told you so Foreman!" she replied in a sing song tone.

Eric looked around from his position on the floor. Neither person had budged. "Um…Jackie?"

Jackie was still trying to regain her full breath. "Yeah?"

"If we're going to do this, you have to get off of me."

"Oh…right." Jackie started to get up while thinking. _What is wrong with me?_

Funland Entrance, Later that night…

Jackie pulled out a bottle of hair spray, and started to spray them both as they exited Bud's truck. Eric's eyes went wide. "Jackie, what are you doing?"

"Ridding the both of us of the smell from that truck. Appearances are everything here Eric."

"But I'm going to wind up smelling like you!"  
"Is that such a bad thing?"

_Well, it does smell good. _"I guess not. But I don't know Jackie, it's not like I've ever done any competitions like this before. You should know how nervous I get in front of large crowds. I can't even go number one in a public restroom if anyone else is around!" Eric was clearly getting a slight case of stage fright.

Jackie stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, taking a deep breath. She grabbed him on each shoulder to make sure she had his complete attention. "Eric, look at me. I know that you're very nervous about this, and that's completely normal. I'm asking for you to trust me on this one. Just follow my lead out there and everything will go just fine. Do you think that Luke Skywalker wasn't nervous right before his first battle with a light saber?"

"Well, he was the young…"

"Shut up Eric! Of course he was! But he did fine, just like_ we _will do fine out there tonight. You have to trust me on this one! Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, I guess I can. But I'm on to you Burkhart about your knowledge of Star…

Jackie interrupted him. "That's not important right now. Now, did I get you to take your mind off of this for at least a minute?"

Eric shrugged and gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess you did."

Jackie gave him a big smile "Mission accomplished, then. Now let's get out there and win this thing." Jackie held out her hand for him.

Eric smiled back and took her extended hand. "Thanks, Jackie."

"You're welcome." She smiled up at him as they walked hand in hand into Funland.

Twenty minutes later…

Jackie had rented her skates and put her outfit on. She had decorated one of her white dress shirts in golden glitter, so she could play the pot of gold at the end of Eric's "Rainbow". Eric caught sight of her as she took a seat next to him. "You look great."

"Thanks, Foreman. Also, FYI, the Rainbow outfit is starting to grow on me."

Eric turned so Jackie wouldn't see his blush. Just then the announcer began to speak.

"Welcome everybody to Sunrise Funland's monthly roller disco competition. Each pair competing tonight has three minutes for their routine. The judges will then rate out competitors immediately following their number. The top three scores will win cash prizes! Two hundred dollars will be awarded for first place, one hundred dollars for second, and fifty dollars for third. Now that we have the rules out of the way, let's begin the competition!"

An hour later…

Jackie knew since they signed up at the last minute for their competition, her and Eric would be the last ones on the floor. About half way through, Jackie saw Eric shaking as he was watching the fellow competitors go, so she reached out and took his hand in hers to try to comfort him. It seemed to work as he wasn't shaking anymore.

"Next up, our final pair of the night, Mister Eric Foreman as Rainbow and Miss Jackie Burkhart as his pot of gold!"

ABBA's "Dancing Queen" hit the speakers as the pair stepped on the floor. Eric then started to follow the lead Jackie was giving him. The timing and their moves were completely in sync, as Jackie's faith in Eric's ability was appearing to pay off. _This is much easier than I thought it would be, _Eric thought to himself.

Towards the end of their time limit, Eric and Jackie were standing side by side, joined by their hands as they prepared for their big finale. Eric let go of Jackie's hand as she began to spin on her skates towards him. _This is great! All I have to do is dip her and this act is over._ He wrapped his arm around her back at exactly the right time as he dipped her and leaned right over her. Jackie was wearing a big smile at him as she mouthed the words to him _I'm so proud of you!_

Suddenly, Eric began to feel some kind of warm sensation pulsate through his body, causing him to feel extremely light headed. He closed his eyes and opened them…_ He saw that same damn beach in California again, running towards the same house with the same voice calling "Eric"…_Eric closed his eyes and opened them again…

Eric was on the floor of the Roller Disco and he saw a concerned looking Jackie leaning over him. "Eric? Eric, are you okay?"

Eric was about half conscious as he lifted his hand behind Jackie's head and muttered in a voice no louder than a whisper. "Donn...uh…Jackie…did we win?"

Jackie's eyes went wide in shock to what was just said. Before she could respond otherwise, she was even more shocked when Eric's lips met her own.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This is just a little filler, dealing with the fallout from the kiss. Hope you all enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 12

Jackie couldn't believe what was happening. _I'm kissing Eric Foreman and I'm actually enjoying it. I can almost see why Donna…Donna! This twitchy swig started to call me Donna. I don't look like a lumberjack, do I? Of course I don't! I'm still Jackie Burkhart, after all! That's it! I have to put a stop to this. _

A half conscious Eric was enjoying the warm sensation he felt during the kiss. Wait what was she starting to do now? Was Jackie starting to slip tongue already? _Alright! _He thought as he started to open up more to allow entrance. Just as quick as he made this decision, he felt something sharp on his lip, causing him to jump back and pull away quickly. "OW!" He yelled in retaliation. "Damn Jackie, what in the world did you bite my lip for?"

Jackie was still leaning over his fallen body, though he preferred the concerned look prior to the kiss over the scowl she was wearing currently. "Donna? Donna? You actually have the nerve to call me…"

Before Jackie could finish, the announcer began to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, the third place prize goes to the team of Jackie Burkhart and Eric Foreman!"

Jackie looked confused before standing up and walking to the center of the roller rink to accept the fifty dollar prize. She was surprised they even won anything given the way that their act finished.

Eric used the time that Jackie was accepting their prize to regain his bearings and get up. Quickly after getting up, he buried his face in his hands when he realized that the consequences of his actions just now probably were going to be pretty severe. If looks could kill, Eric would be six feet under the way Jackie was burning a hole through him while coming back to him with their prize money. Eric decided he better act fast. "Look Jackie, I'm really…

Jackie just held up her hand to stop him. "Save it Foreman! I don't want to hear a word out of you right now. Let's just go home!" She then briskly walked out of Funtown with Eric trailing her much further behind.

About twenty minutes later, Eric pulled up to the trailer. The ride back was uncomfortable to say the very least, as Jackie wouldn't even look at him the whole way back. As soon as Bud's truck came to a stop, Jackie immediately jumped out of the truck and charged into the trailer.

Eric just gave a heavy sigh as he had no other choice but to exit the car and start towards the trailer himself. Just as he got back up to the trailer door, Jackie opened the door with a less than friendly look on her face. "Jackie, we really should talk about…" He was interrupted by a blanket and pillow being thrown his way. "Not tonight Eric." Jackie then slammed the door to the trailer back in his face. Eric gave a thought about knocking on the door, but thought that his head had suffered enough wounds already over the past couple of days, so he began to walk. On the other side of the door, Jackie slumped against the door and let out a heavy sigh as silent tears began to stream down her face.

Meanwhile…

Eric began walking aimlessly around the shop buried in his own thoughts. He and Jackie had really been getting along well recently. he figured it was about time he screwed that up too. He heard a voice in his head that sounded a lot like Red that said "Nice going, dumbass!" He shook his head as his min was swirling full of thoughts right now. His journal was still in the trailer so writing in that wasn't an option. He thought for a moment and reached into his pocket for the set of keys that Bud gave him for the truck. Luckily, the shop key was included as well. He opened the front door and made a bee line for the office. He sat in the chair and stared at the phone. He really could use a friend at the moment. He sighed heavily as her picked up the receiver. There was only one place he could call right now.

Back in Point Place…

Steven Hyde couldn't believe his luck these days! His surrogate brother takes off for California after the love of his life and he thought he would have to endure the wrath of Red for the summer. Instead, Red and Kitty take off after Eric and now he is left with his own bachelor pad for the foreseeable future. Man, this was turning out to be the best summer yet! He had just returned from the photo hut and was ready to partake in recreational activities very soon. Led Zepplin record on? Check. Called Fez and he was on his way over. Check. He was just looking at his collection of phone numbers to decide which one to use tonight. Before he could pick up the phone, it rang. Hyde shrugged and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"What's up Hyde?"

"Foreman, is that you? Man, I've got to thank you. This whole California thing you're doing is the best decision you ever made."

"I'm assuming from your enthusiasm that Red and Mom are already in California."

"You've got that right man. Living by myself in your house this summer is great. There are so many things I can hide in your room to get you in trouble when you get back. It's going to be so cool."

"What? Hyde, no! I'm going to be in enough trouble as it is!"

"Honestly, what did you expect Foreman? I'm just doing my job man."

"Listen, Hyde do you have a minute?"

"Oh, God Foreman. You didn't kill Jackie or anything did you? If you did, we never talked and I can't be your.."

"Hyde, I kissed her."

"Whoa, Foreman. I didn't know you were I California already. Red calls here every day and he said…"

"No Hyde. I'm still stuck in Utah. I kissed Jackie earlier tonight."

"Foreman, what the hell were you thinking? Jackie's like your mortal enemy. Besides, if you guys keep doing things like that with her, it means that she'll keep showing up here!"

"I don't know. I just fell down while in the middle of this roller disco…"

Hyde burst out in laughter. Eric rolled his eyes while his adopted brother tried to regain his composure. "Foreman, you did Roller Disco? That's too bad man. Now I'm really gonna have to kick your ass once you get back here! Jackie must have you wrapped right around her…"

"Hyde, I got blackmailed by her into doing this Roller Disco Competition. I fell at the end and landed on the back of my head. I wasn't all there when it happened and now I don't know when she's going to speak to me again."

"And you're upset about this because…"

"Look Hyde. Over the past few days, I've really seen a different side to Jackie. Yes, she may be annoying sometimes, but she's been great given the situation. I'm having a hard time figuring out why I kissed her. Part of me thinks it's because I was out of it and she was a Donna replacement, and the other part of me thinks it's because I'm actually enjoying her company and I would like things like that to continue with us. What am I going to do man?"

"Fine, Foreman. I'm not there, so I can't tell you exactly what to do. I think you do need to sort out whatever's going on with you and Donna first. You'll never be able to move on with anyone else until you resolve things there first."

"You're probably right. Thanks."

"Don't mention it, and I mean that! Could you guys perhaps wait until you get back here to figure these things out? I've always wanted to see a three way catfight. It would be Donna, Jackie, and Kelso! That would be a great way to end the summer!"

"Shut up Hyde!"

"Gotta go, Foreman. Fez just arrived and we have to go score some chicks. Good luck, man. Later."

"Yeah. Later."

Eric hung up the phone and looked out the window as it started to rain. He suddenly heard a voice calling for him. "Eric?"

Meanwhile….

_I am such a mess right now! I should have known better than to blackmail with Roller Disco. I just wound up making a bigger mess of things than they already were to begin with. The worst part about it was that we didn't even win! I was so proud of the effort Eric gave out there tonight and we would have won it if he didn't slip and fall out of our dip at the end of our routine. He seemed to pass out or something because he wasn't all there. I can't put into words what I feel about what happened after that. Eric grabbed me and kissed me after he started to wake back up. Now, I hate to admit this, but if he didn't make one HUGE mistake, I would have been happy about it! If you told me two weeks ago that I'd be happy about kissing Eric Foreman ever, I'd have you committed. Anyway, right before the kiss, he almost called me Donna! That's right, he almost called me Donna! So now I have no clue what the kiss meant, if anything, and I can't even process if I even want it to mean something. I just want to rest right now. I'll deal with Eric in the…oh, no! It's starting to pour and he's out there! I have to go find him since I kicked him out of the trailer. Sorry for not being my delightful self tonight, there's just too much going on right now for that!_

_Love, Jackie_

Jackie then put her journal down and headed out of the trailer. Her first instinct was to look up but she only saw two empty chairs up there getting pelted by the raindrops. She started to run around to the front where the shop was, hoping he didn't leave the area altogether. She started to worriedly call for him "Eric!" "Eric!"

To her relief, Eric appeared and came out of the shop entrance, pillow and blanket in tow. Eric just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do next.

"Well don't just stand there, get your dumb ass back to the trailer before we get soaked and my outfit gets ruined!" Eric just nodded and did as instructed, following Jackie back inside the trailer.

Once inside, Jackie got a towel and started to dry off before handing it to Eric so he could do the same. Eric tried to take advantage of the opportunity. "Jackie, I'm so sorry about…"

Jackie cut him off. "No, Eric. Let me talk. I can't even wrap my head around what happened earlier tonight. I don't know what will happen from here, nor do I really care at the moment. We can worry about it tomorrow. Right now, I'd just like to know if you'd like to sit with me and forget about everything for a while."

Eric let a small smile of relief appear before speaking. "Sounds like a good offer to me." He then reached for Jackie's hand. She took it and the pair walked over to the couch and sat. She curled up beside him and they just sat listening to the raindrops hit the roof of the trailer in a peaceful silence, until sleep overtook them both.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'm back with another chapter. This one took a while to write as I wanted to make sure I got it to the right point at the end. To all my usual reviewers, thank you all so much! Enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 13

_Eric started to run along on the same California beach he had seen for days now. "Man, will this ever end?" He shouted and turned the heads of the few patrons on the beach at the moment. "Eric!" Here he was, approaching that same familiar beach house. He wasn't walking this time, as he was walking up to the porch overlooking the beach with a cautious expression on his face. Eric was just about to climb up the first step to the porch when he stopped in his tracks. Wasn't this around the time he was supposed to wake up from this? As much as he tried to remove himself from this scenario, it was becoming clear that he was still asleep, and the events were going to play out further this time. Eric climbed the steps and stood on the porch. He thought about knocking on the back door, but he was interrupted by a very familiar voice._

"_Well, dumbass, it's about time you got here!" _

"_There's my baby boy!"_

_Eric looked alarmed. "Whoa, mom, dad, what are you guys doing here?"_

"_Don't tell me you forgot already! Eric, we arrived here to see…No, let me try this again. Your mother came out here to see Midge. I just wanted my newspaper and beer somewhere different for a change!"_

"_Now Red, go easy on the boy. He did get out here all by himself after all. Now come sit Eric so you can tell me how much you missed your mother."_

"_Actually mom, I don't think I'm supposed to be here right now."_

_Kitty looked alarmed. "Of course you're supposed to be here! Don't you realize that you're supposed to stay with me forever?"_

"_Now Kitty, don't be giving the boys any ideas. Anyway, dumbass is here for the girl because she actually finds him appealing. Why that is, I'll never know."_

"_Don't let her wait any longer Eric! Get in there and let her know how you really feel."_

_A voice called from upstairs. "Eric? Eric is that you. I didn't know until now but I know I'm the right girl for you. I can't wait anymore so I'm coming to see you right now."_

_Eric looked thrilled. This was the moment he had waited for. Eric started to run towards the stairwell when he heard her shoes tapping the stairs, he rounded the corner to the front of the stairs, and…_

Eric sprang up from the couch he had fallen asleep on the night before. Unfortunately for him , he woke so abruptly that he did not realize that Jackie was still curled against him from the way they fell asleep a few short hours ago. As Eric jumped up, Jackie went flying up with him, screaming "Eric what are you…ouch! Eric, I am not meant to be dumped on floors like homeless people or big red lumberjacks!" Jackie looked up to him wearing a scowl.

Eric hovered over her, looking quite concerned. "Jackie, I can't apologize enough for this"

Jackie shook her head. "You've got to work on this twitching thing Eric. After all, you don't want to get nervous at the wheel later on." She took his extended hand, accepting his help to het feet.

Eric's eyes went wide. "Oh gosh, you're right! This is our last day here. The Crusier's going to be ready at the end of the day. We just have to get through the day then. I know I said it last night, but I want to reiterate how sorry I am for everything that happened. I guess I've got another incident to add to the list."

Jackie sighed. "Eric, it's going to take a while for me to truly know how I feel about our…I'll just call it our connection last night. But even today, we are still a team, and I think it's best to let bygones be bygones for today. As for everything else, we'll just make it up as we go along. Do we have a deal?"

Eric gave a small smile. "Of course we have a deal." Eric offered his hand, but decided against heavy bodily contact at this time. He stuck out his pinky finger and the two pinky swore on it. "Now let me buy you breakfast this time before work. I owe you this time."

Jackie gave a slight chuckle. "You are so predictable sometimes Foreman. Just give me a few minutes to get ready." She looked back at him with a smile, before entering the bedroom to change for work.

Later that day…

Eric was working on the last of what seemed like infinite shoeboxes of old records from the shop. As he tucked the last of the receipts in its proper place in the file cabinet, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. After a few very full work days, his task was completed. The door to the office opened as Jackie came walking in with a big smile on her face. "Excellent news, Eric! I'm looking the best I have during the whole time I've been slumming here!"

Eric rolled his eyes. "Gee, I feel so much better now that I have that information. I don't know what I would do if…"

"Eric, if you listen to me, I actually have a point. My amazing good looks earned me my best tip day, check it out." Jackie pulled the cash out of her pocket and showed it to Eric.

Eric was amazed. "Wow, Jackie. There's over a hundred bucks here."

"You know, if I didn't know you any better, I'd say you actually enjoyed this job,"

"Well, how can you not have fun at a job where poor people drool over my excellent looks!"

"Um, Jackie there's another name for that. It's called…"

Eric's life may have been spared as there was a knock at the door before he was able to complete his thought. Bud stepped into his office with a look of satisfaction. "Eric, the work is all done on the Vista Crusier. I want to thank you both for all your efforts here. There may have been a bump or two here or there, but you both did great." Bud pulled two envelopes out of his pocket and gave them to his two temporary employees.

Eric and Jackie shared a confused look as they counted their money before Eric spoke up. "Bud, there's too much in here."

Bud just grinned in response. "Consider it a bonus. My office has never looked more organized and Jackie, a lot of my customers are really going to miss you!"

Jackie shrugged. "Yeah, my beauty is really a once in a lifetime experience to strangers."

Bud chuckled while Eric threw up his arms. Bud then spoke "Honestly though, thank you both for all your efforts here. The guys are waiting so we can all have a good luck beer before you guys go."

"No Bud, it's the least we could do since you rescued the both of us about a week ago, so thank you."Eric replied.

"Just promise that if you're ever back this way again, you guys be sure to come visit."

Jackie smiled. "I don't know Bud, I don't know if this town could handle a double dose of me! They may have heart attacks due to how pretty I am!"

Eric smirked "I thought you were going to give me a heart attack, but your looks have nothing to do with it."

"Very funny, Foreman."

Bud chimed in "Let's not keep the guys waiting." He guided Eric and Jackie out of the office for the final time.

Back at the trailer, after the send off…

"So not only did we get way overpaid, but they all bought us pizza and beer for dinner too."

"Yeah, not bad for a send off from poor people."

Eric gave a slight laugh while shaking his head. "Yeah, there's the same Jackie we all know and…"

Jackie raised her eyebrows, very curious for the answer to her next question. "Know and what Eric?"

Eric looked at the ground while nervously thinking. "Know and…uh….um…barely tolerate."

Jackie swatted at his arm. "Yeah, yeah, you're just like everyone else when it comes to me, whether you want to admit it or not. Eric kept looking at the ground, annoying Jackie to no end. "That's it Eric. All this twitching is driving me crazy. Speaking of driving, you better get in that car because you're taking me out tonight!"

"What…um…I am? Do you think that's a good idea based on our past experiences over the last couple of days?"

"And what would you do Eric? Sit in that trailer all night long? I'm going to tell everyone your name is Eric Boreman if you're not careful. So go to the Vista Crusier and pick me up NOW! Jackie stood arms folded and foot tapping.

"FINE! But for the record, I'll have you know that I'm doing this under protest AGAIN!" Eric then stomped off to the front of the shop to pick up the Vista Crusier.

Later that night….

The Vista Crusier pulled back up to the trailer, new transmission and all. It was a perfect summer night, as a cool summer breeze blew gently across the desert. Eric and Jackie got out and sat on the hood of the car.

"Well, it was good to see that this thing is in working order." Eric said.

Jackie looked over at him with her eyes glistening in the moonlight and a smile. "Eric, thank you for tonight. It's exactly what I needed."

"Yeah, I had fun too. It beat sitting around here and over thinking things. By the way, I can't believe you wanted to go back to Funland after last night's disaster!"

"Practice makes perfect, Eric. I just thought you could use some practice on finishing what you start, that's all."

"You have to admit that it was good to actually go to the drive-in without sitting on walls. I know my head is thanking me for that right now, and thank goodness they got rid of Grease! Sgt. Pepper was MUCH better."

Jackie gave him a soft elbow for that remark. "Oh, that Beatle's movie just would be better if we had some of Steven's stash. Besides, you liked Grease anyway! I could tell by you're snapping fingers and humming!"

"Oh, and what bout you Little Miss Star Wars? Don't think I didn't catch that during the pep talk last night!"

"I admit nothing!"

"Okay, have it your way! I admit nothing either!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Eric and Jackie glanced at each other and shared a comforting laugh. Hadn't they had that fight already?

After a moment Jackie looked at Eric with a softened expression. "Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you going to do about Donna?"

Eric sighed heavily. He then turned to Jackie and spoke. "To be honest, I have absolutely no idea. Whatever happens, if I just follow my dreams I know I can do no wrong. That's about the only answer I have right now. What about you and Kelso?"

It was Jackie's turn to sigh. "After the past week, it's obvious that there's no way marriage was ever an option for either one of us. We have been through so much that I think if I know he's happy, I'll be able to move on one way or another. Does that make sense?"

"It kind of does actually. But that's enough talk about that. Right now I just want to be right here."

Jackie just looked over at Eric with a small smile. "Me too."

As a comfortable silence fell between the pair, King Harvest's "Dancing in the Moonlight" came on the airwaves in the Vista Crusier. Eric hopped off the car and extended his hand to her. "May I have this dance?"

Jackie smirked and shook her head. "You are so corny, Foreman, but yes you can" she placed her hand in his as she hopped of the hood of the car.

Eric looked around him. The scene was like something out of a movie. The bright moon and stars lit the way as they swayed to the music. _What did I just do? What has happened over this past week? Why does she look so perfect in the moon…_Before Eric could finish his thought, he was greeted by another pair of soft lips. _This feels good._ The initial kiss was broken after a couple of seconds and Jackie's eyes met his almost questioning her most recent action. Eric let out a small smile before their lips rejoined. They didn't know if there were any answers, but they were joined by the same thought at the moment _this just feels right._

Their lips parted as the song ended and they just stood there for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, Jackie spoke softly. "Eric, I'm…

Eric just smiled and kissed the top of her head softly. "Sssh. It's okay. Don't worry about it. Everything is on hold until tomorrow, discussing what just happened included."

Jackie gave a small smile and whispered. "Okay."

"The bed's all yours tonight. I'm just going to sit up top for a while."

"Thanks for everything Eric. Sweet dreams."

"You too."

After another small peck on the lips and a hug, Jackie headed inside while Eric looked up to the nighttime sky and had the inevitable thought. _California, here we come._


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Okay, this is mostly filler to be honest. But I felt it was important to see where the characters stand before they hit the road. Thanks for all the kind reviews, as I'm delighted about all the good feedback! Enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 14

_Dear Journal,_

_Just when I think I'm coming up with all the answers, the questions just keep changing here. The Vista Crusier is fixed, and our bags are packed. Jackie and I depart for California in the morning and I'm questioning if I even want to go. I never would have believed the events of the past week in a million years. If somebody told me that I would even be considering not going to California to get the love of my life back so I could go home to spend more time with my arch nemesis, I would be looking where Hyde's stash was nearby. There is a really huge battle going on between my head and my heart right now._

_My heart goes first since I just ended a night of celebration with Jackie. Sure, we got off to a very rocky start out here, but I may never admit it to her, but it has been one of the most fun weeks I've ever had. When we first got trapped in these circumstances, I thought it would be a living hell. Jackie was the person I always knew, treating everyone round her just plain nasty. However, since that night she has never lost sight of what we had to do in order to get out of here, and she was a team player the whole time. I really needed her, and she was there for me the entire time. During the drive-in trips, the roller disco, and work, I really saw a side of her that I've never seen before. If it didn't seem appealing to me, I'd be lying. I couldn't believe how quick she forgave me for my stupidity at the roller disco the other night as well. Oh my god. Am I gushing here? This probably sounds like a girl wrote this. I don't know. The point is that during the week I spent with Jackie, I have been reconsidering my options a little. Given what just happened out there a few minutes ago, whatever this is with Jackie seems new, exciting, and it seems like the sky is the limit of where this relationship could go._

_I guess this is the point where my head comes into play here. This series of events never would have taken place if we weren't on the road to California to reconnect with Donna and Kelso respectively. I still feel like I never gave Donna the chance to explain herself during the night she left Point Place. If she had returned to her room instead of jumping in the van with Kelso, this trip may never be taking place. My head says that Donna and I need to hear each other out or neither one of us will be able to move on to another relationship if that is our choice. Also, this same recurring dream I've been having had been getting in my head a little. The dream seems to taking place from Donna's mother's house in California, so the logical conclusion is that we must go there to get our answers to well…everything._

_Never more have I been reminded than right now of our group quote this year in our yearbook…"What a long, strange, trip it's been…and it's not over yet. I have the funny feeling I'm going to be telling my grand kids about this someday, whichever way this goes. Until next time._

_Eric_

_Oh my gosh, I just can't believe what happened tonight! That might have been the sweetest date I've ever been on in my life! There couldn't have been a more perfect setting for it. The drive-in, the talking on the hood of the Vista Crusier under the stars, the dance, the kiss, I still have goose bumps thinking about it right now. I wanted to make sure I write how I feel at this moment right now so I won't ever forget it!_

_With that being said, I'm reminded about the cruel reality that the sun will come up tomorrow, and the Vista Crusier turns back into a pumpkin, and we start on our way to California. Part of me just really wants to go home, as I feel really good about earning my way out of here. I never thought I would enjoy and thrive in a world surrounded by poor people, but it didn't take me long to get them to love me! I may even go so far to say that I'll miss this place once we leave tomorrow. _

_I have to say that the biggest reason I was able to get through this was Eric. He was really forgiving when we didn't have the best start here, and our fight that night really inspired me to be a better person while I was here. It's still something I'm working on, but seeing the way Eric is with these people gave me something to go by, or a standard to live up to. I bet you never would have thought I'd ever want to be more like Eric, huh? It surprised me too. I guess these unforeseeable circumstances really not only do you discover more about others, but also about yourself as well. Wait, since when did I get so sentimental? Probably about the same time I got stuck with the skinny, twitchy, nerd bomber, right? _

_I guess we really should go in the morning. Whatever decision we both make about Kelso or Donna, I think it's important enough to be done in person. My biggest hope coming out of this is that the group remains in tact. There are big things that are going to happen and I'm going to note that I hope we all come out of this in one piece. That's enough Jackie time for now. Wish us luck. We're going to need it._

_Love, Jackie_

The next morning…

Jackie looked up the ladder of the trailer with a sigh, knowing full well that this would be the last time she made this climb. She took a second and gave a sweet smile to Eric's sleeping form, almost feeling guilty over what she would have to do next. She took the coffee she was holding and slipped it under his nose. Jackie took a hesitant step back as Eric's eyes sprung open. "Hey." Eric gave a small smile while taking the cup from her.

"Time to get up sleepyhead!" Jackie said cheerily.

Eric looked down at his newly acquired cup and had one thought. "Let me guess, you had to say goodbye to the coffee guy."

"Eric, this has been the best week of that poor guy's life. I had to let him realize how pretty I really am before I go."

Eric let out a sigh. "Speaking of going, I've been doing a bit of thinking. How would you feel about forgetting about California and just going home? Maybe last night was a sign. We should just cut our losses and let things play out without becoming involved out there. Besides, I'm sure we could find activities of our own to…"

Jackie let out a tiny giggle before interrupting. "As appealing as that may sound Eric, I'm afraid that we have to go. The point of this whole trip in the first place was to resolve our unfinished business. As fun as these distractions have been, I think we have to see this through the whole way. Otherwise, we're always going to have these unanswered questions following us. It's time to go answer hunting Eric."

Eric frowned slightly and sighed. "I guess you're right. Since when did you get so smart?"

Jackie shrugged with a wink. "It's a gift."

Eric laughed as the pair finished their breakfast.

A half hour later…

Eric slammed the trunk to the Vista Crusier shut as Jackie and he looked at the trailer for the final time. Jackie noticed the amused look Eric was giving her. "What?"

"You're really going to miss this place, aren't you?"

"I don't know, it just kind of grew on me."

"I never thought I'd see the day that Jackie Burkhart would miss a trailer of all things."

"I have been known to surprise every now and then."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Eric remarked as Jackie gave him a sweet smile.

Jackie's smile vanished as she took a heavy breath and looked over at him questioningly. "Eric?" Eric turned to look at her. "What do you want to have happen out there?"

Eric took a moment of thought before responding. "I have no idea." Eric looked at the ground and back at Jackie. "And you?"

Jackie simply shrugged at him. "I guess I have no idea either."

The two shared a smile for a moment before Eric spoke. "Shall we go?"

"I guess so. Eric, I just have one more thing to say."

"What's that?"

Jackie walked up to Eric and gave him a soft, tender kiss that seemed like it was over too soon after it started. Jackie gave him a sweet smile. "Thank you for everything."

Eric smiled back "My pleasure. Let's go." Eric put his arm around Jackie as they walked towards the passenger's side door. He opened the door as she looked up at him with a smile before entering the car. He ran around and got into the driver's side.

Eric and Jackie joined hands as they looked at the shop and trailer for the last time. "Goodbye, Sunrise." He stated softly as he started the engine and turned out onto the open road.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back from a bit of a break and I'm very excited! Thanks to my kind reviewers as the feedback has been so much better than I dreamed it would be! It's time to get to California now, so enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 15

The morning was upon them, as Sunrise was in the rear view mirror and they had no idea what was in store for the future. It was a nice day to travel, as Eric was very thankful for the nice weather giver how many storms Jackie and he had weathered already on this journey. There was a comfortable, yet tense silence in the new and improved Vista Cruiser, as both were lost in their own thoughts in what was to come when the pair reached their destination.

After about eight straight hours of driving, Jackie awoke from her nap, (or her beauty rest, as she put it) and spoke up for the first time in hours. "Eric, do you think you could stop for a bathroom break. I'm not feeling as beautiful as I should right now."

Eric gave a heavy laugh in response as it seemed like she said exactly the right thing to break whatever tension that existed in the car at this moment. "Yeah, I know, I thing a few hairs are out of place right over there." Eric joked while pointing to the back of her head.

The remark earned Eric a playful whack in the arm in retaliation. "I should lock you out of the car for that Foreman."

"Luckily, I know you need me too much." Jackie looked over Eric after his statement and just had a blank look on her face. This reaction made Eric pretty nervous. "I mean…uh…"

After a moment, Jackie started to laugh. "Jeez, calm down Foreman! You're starting to get all twitchy on me again!"

Eric was about to respond but was distracted by something else. "Oh look, a rest stop. Why don't we get some lunch too while we're here?"

"Fine by me." That was good enough for Eric as he pulled into the rest stop.

As Jackie got out of the car Eric smirked, "So I'll meet you in the food court after you "beautify" yourself. That should give me about an hour's break."

Jackie returned the smirk and shook her head. "Shut up, Foreman." With that, Jackie disappeared into the rest stop building. Eric sighed and sat in thought for a moment. He then went into his bag and pulled out his journal before entering the building himself.

_Dear Journal,_

_Jackie's gone to use the restroom, so I should have a bit of time to write. I need something to do right now since I have a lot of nervous energy at the moment. It feels very strange not to be writing from Sunrise anymore as Jackie and I really found our groove there. Now that we're about five hours away from California, I don't even know if I want to be there anymore._

_It was really quiet in the car this morning, as reality seemed to set in for the both of us. I kept telling myself while driving that we should be happy that we're going to get this opportunity for ourselves. Better yet, we earned the right to do it by handling a very tricky set of circumstances all on our own, without help from parents or any family at all. That was all great, but there was just one thing I never expected at all. _

_That of course, was how close I got to Jackie during this past week. I always knew that she was a good person deep down, since we always have found our own ways of helping each other out, even if it wasn't directly. Now that I've got a better idea of who Jackie Burkhart really is, I've got to say that she is a great person who I might be able to see myself with. The only thing is that I don't know if I even want that. Hell, I don't even she even know what she wants either. For all I know, this could just been a long, lost week for the both of us while we get back on track._

_I know that we both have to find answers for ourselves, and the road to those answers is right in front of us, not back in Sunrise, Point Place, or anywhere else. I just hope I figure out what the right answer is before it's too late. Wish me luck again. Oh, here comes Jackie from the bathroom. I guess it's time for lunch. _

_Eric_

Eric closed his journal just as he closed his journal. Jackie saw Eric do this and had to say something. "I told you it helps to write it all down."

He just shook his head in response as she sat down to eat lunch. "I'm sure you know that recently, there's been an awful lot to write down."

"You can say that again."

Eric sighed as he spoke the words that were inevitable. "I guess we should talk before we get there, huh?"

Jackie looked back at him, understanding fully what he meant. After a deep sigh, she went ahead and spoke. "I guess we have to. Part of me wishes that we could have stayed back there, and see where whatever this is with us goes next."

"Let me guess. The other part says that we absolutely need to get to California before this "thing", or whatever this is with us goes any further."

"Dead on, Foreman. I knew I taught you well."

"Don't pat yourself on the back too much. "

"Eric, there's something else bothering me too."

"What's that?"

"You see, it's just that Donna is my only real girlfriend that I can confide in. You think for a second I can tell the other Point Place cheerleaders all my girl problems?"

"Well, I don't kno…"

Jackie interrupted him. "They're all sluts Eric! What would they know about my life?"

"I know what you're saying Jackie. Look, Kelso and I have been friends for about as long as I can remember. I don't know how he'd feel about this either."

"What I guess I'm asking you is to put whatever is happening with us on hold until we figure things out in California. We can come back to this later if we choose to."

"Aww, Jackie has a heart after all. I think we also need to agree that "this" can't continue until we know that Donna and Kelso are going to be okay with it."

Jackie nodded. "Agreed. There's just too much history with all of us to throw all our friendships out the window for this. But I do want to thank you for everything this past week. I couldn't have done it without you. If Donna does wind up back with you, I just hope she realizes how lucky she is." Jackie reached her hand across the table and joined it with Eric's.

"I just want to say that I always knew who you really are. Only a kind hearted person would try to make it work with him as much as you have. You were able to overlook his flaws and see him for who he really is; A goofy kid with a big heart. I guess all I'm saying is thank you for being who you are."

Jackie's eyes were glistening. "No, Eric. Thank you." She gave him a big smile.

They just sat there joining hands for a moment until Eric broke them out of their trance by speaking. "Okay now that all the sentimental stuff is out of the way, let's eat! Cheers? He asked, holding up his soda cup.

Jackie raised her cup and joined it with his. "Cheers." They finally started to eat.

Five and a half hours later, Los Angeles, California…

The Vista Cruiser pulled into the parking lot of Manhattan Beach, where he knew that Midge had her home right next to. As Eric put the car in park, he took a deep breath as he couldn't believe that the journey was over. They had arrived.

Jackie looked over at Eric and could tell how nervous he was as he saw the sweat on his face. "Are you ready for this?"

Eric tried his best to relax before responding. "I'm pretty sure that I'm not."

Jackie nodded at him in understanding and looked out the window on her side. She couldn't believe it as she saw a car pull into the spot right next to them. Jackie looked back at him with an amused smirk. "Well, I thing you better be prepared right now."

"What do you…" Before Eric could even finish his line of questioning, he was interrupted by a woman knocking at his window. His eyes went very wide when he saw who it was.

"Look,Red! My baby is here! My baby is here!" A very excited Kitty Foreman was standing directly outside the Vista Cruiser. Eric rolled his eyes and gave Jackie one last look before stepping out of the car.

Eric found himself enveloped in a hug immediately. "I can't believe it's you. You're really here." Kitty sounded delighted.

Red Foreman caught up with his wife and managed to pry her off of his son. As soon as she lost her grip on Eric, she gave Eric a light shove. "What in the world were you thinking? Don't you know you're not supposed to go anywhere without taking your mother with you!"

Red actually started to act as the voice of reason for a moment. "Now Kitty, let go of the boy. I'm sure he's learned his lesson about being the dumb ass that he is. However, I see that the car is back in working order. So how in the world…"

Jackie stepped up to the Foreman parents and interjected herself. "May I say something here? I just want you both to know how great your son has been over this past week. I wouldn't have been able to get through the past week without him. He managed to not only get the car fixed, but he also got us jobs and a free place to live. He really stepped up and took charge of the situation we were in. He was very responsible and I wanted the both of you to know that. Okay I'm finished." Jackie looked up at Eric who gave her a thankful look.

Red took a moment to survey the situation before speaking. "Jackie, when did you start defending him? I used to think you were the smartest one but now I have to rethink that." He continued to look between the two of them before placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "If what she just said is true though, it seems that you handled your responsibilities well out there. The fact that you're here right now says that. I'm proud of you Eric."

Kitty shot Red a look of alarm. "What? No, this isn't what we discussed. We're supposed to ground him until he's twenty-five, remember?"

"Kitty, our son took responsibility for his actions. He is that much closer to becoming a man. The sooner he becomes a man, the sooner he moves out, and my dreams come true. You are not going to take that dream away from me."

Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing as he gave his dad a grin. "So I guess we can just let bygones be bygones since I was so…"

"Not so fast, dumbass. Just because I'm proud of the way you handled yourself doesn't mean there won't be a chore list a mile long waiting for you when we get home."

Eric nodded. "I should have known there was a catch."

Jackie decided it was time to change the subject. "So how is Midge's beach house?"

Red gave a scowl at that question. "Midge is seeing some new Hollywood type guy that is twice as dumb as Bob is! I couldn't stand him anymore so we're staying in a hotel room further down the beach."

"Red, the whole point of this was to visit Midge! I still can't believe we just left her…"

Red interrupted his wife. "By all means Kitty, if you like them so much, go stay with them."

Eric supposed he should ask the other question and get it over with. "So how are Kelso and Donna?"

Red smirked. "Oh, Donna met some guy named Diego and took off with him for the border."

Eric's eyes bugged out of his head. "Really?"

"No,dumbass. She's at her mother's. She's probably making sure Midge doesn't walk into a wall or something." Red noticed a hopeful look on Jackie's face disappeared as he spoke his words.

"What about Michael?" Jackie asked.

"Why don't you guys come see for yourselves." Kitty nodded towards the beach. The four of them then made their way towards the beach.

A few minutes later, Red and Kitty set up their beach chairs in a spot and were sitting in the sun. Eric and Jackie hardly settled in the spot before being greeted by a familiar voice. "ERIC? JACKIE? What are you guys doing here?" An excited Michael Kelso came running out of the water towards them and enveloping the two in a big hug.

Jackie was already annoyed. "Michael, don't you even think! Now Eric and I are all wet!"

"I don't know what you're so upset about Jackie. You know I don't think!"

Eric just laughed and spoke. "It's good to see you too, man."

"Guys, check it out. See that chick in the water over there? That's Annette and I'm trying to do "it" with her." Jackie just looked to the sky and threw her hands up.

Kelso continued. "Anyways, check out that sand castle we built over there. We came up with the most brilliant plan. We're going to rent it out when I go back to school in the fall. That way I have a place to stay when I come back here next summer. What do you guys think?"

Eric and Jackie shared a knowing look as Eric pet Kelso on the back. "You're right, man. It's just brilliant."

"Look, it's great to see you guys and I'm glad you both are here. I have to get back to the water before someone else tries to score with my chick. There are beach parties here every night. Hope you guys are coming."

Eric nodded and spoke. "We wouldn't miss it."

"Okay, see you guys there!" Kelso started to run back in the water but got a little distracted as he started to run back in. "Oh, look! It's a jellyfish! Here, little fella." Kelso bent down with the idea of petting it.

Eric and Jackie saw this and tried to stop him as they yelled out simultaneously. "Kelso!" "Michael!"

It was too late. Kelso was already trying to get it to pay attention to him. "Here, little guy come to your Uncle Kel…OW!"

Eric and Jackie ran towards the water but were too late as the jellyfish caught Kelso's arm. It only stayed there for a moment as Kelso got it off him quickly, but he had been stung! Kelso ran out of the water and sat on the sand, clutching at his arm. Kitty saw the events transpire and arrived, looking at his arm.

"Red, get an ambulance." She yelled at her husband.

"Oh great, more peace and quiet interrupted." He muttered to himself as he went for help.

A few minutes later, medical personnel arrived and tended to Kelso. They decided to take him to the hospital for monitoring to make sure he didn't have a reaction.

Eric gave Jackie a look. "Jackie, I should…"

Jackie interrupted, placing her hand on Eric's shoulder. "You should go with him. I'll stay with your parents for now and meet you at the party later."

"Sounds like a plan. See you there."

"Good luck."

Eric gave her a look before continuing with Kelso to the ambulance. _Great, I'm not even here an hour and I'm already on my way to the hospital. At least it will give me time to talk to him about Jackie._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Okay, here is chapter 16! I was so excited to write this, in particular the ending to this chapter! Thanks to my usual reviewers, you guys make me feel great about telling this story! As usual, Enjoy!**

Cruel Summer

Chapter 16

A little while later Eric was in the waiting room at the hospital hoping to hear word about his friend's condition. _Wow, what a whirlwind of a day. It started on top of a trailer, and continued through four states into a hospital._ A nurse's presence shook Eric from his thoughts. "Are you with Mr. Kelso?"

Eric stood. "Yep, that's me."

"Well I have good news. It looks like the sting wasn't severe and he's going to be okay. We do have to keep him overnight for precautionary measures. We want to be sure he doesn't have any side effects caused by the sting. We can let him go in the morning."

"Well, can I see him?"

"Well, visiting hours are supposed to be over, but if you don't stay too long, I can sneak you in for a few minutes. It's the third room down the hallway on your right."

"Thanks." Eric replied as the nurse left him there. He got up and shook his head in amazement. "Once a Kelso, always a Kelso." He muttered to himself as he walked down the hall towards the hospital room.

Eric opened the door to find a smiling Kelso in a hospital gown and his arm bandaged up in the spot of the sting. It appeared that he was watching tv.

"Eric, check this place out! It's like I'm having a sleepover party with myself. There's tv, free food, free drinks, and a really comfortable bed. And do you want to know the best part?"

Eric rolled his eyes I response. "I guess so."

"There's a Flintstones and Jetson's marathon on tonight!"

"Way cool, really Kelso. How's the arm doing?"

"Oh, it will be fine eventually. But if I ever see my little jellyfish friend again, he's going down!"

"Duly noted. Kelso, can I talk do you about something?"

"Does it look like I'm going anywhere Eric?"

Eric surveyed the scene. "Uh, I guess not."

"Then proceed."

"I was just wondering what your interest is right now in Jackie. I know about the whole marriage mess that caused you to want to get out of Point Place and away from her. Are you going to try to give it another shot with her since she came all this way to see you?"

Eric looked stunned as Kelso looked like he was having a rational thought for a moment. He started to shake his head and spoke. "You know what Eric? Jackie and I have tried to make it work repeatedly before. Since I've been out here, I've come to the conclusion that we just want different things right now. I mean come on Eric! I am a man who is going to be in his sexual prime! There are chicks out there that need to see how man pretty I really am! Now I have a question for you, Eric. Why so interested? It's no secret that you and Jackie are arch rivals."

"I'll just say that strange things occur when you get stuck for the entire week where she is the only familiar face around."

"Wait a minute- did you two do "it"?"

Eric threw his hands up. "No, no, of course not! There may have been a kiss or two here or there but that's as far as anything went. I guess that I'm asking if I decide to continue kissing her, would I be stepping on any toes as far as you're concerned."

Kelso looked at him like he was seeing double. "Eric, you would be using your mouth for that, not your toes! But yes, you have my blessing to do whatever you like with Jackie. Besides, did you see Annette earlier at the beach? She is the next conquest in my summer of doing "it"!"

"Thanks man. I'm glad we were able to…"

Kelso interrupted looking suddenly alarmed, "But Eric, what about Donna? I thought you two would be together forever."

"I'm not saying that I've decided anything yet. I'm still looking for answers. I have to see Donna first before I decide anything."

Kelso grinned and shook his head. "Man. The nerd of the basement group has both the chicks in the group after him. How in the world did that happen?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I guess I should get to that beach party now. Enjoy your cartoons man."

"Will do. Good luck Eric. It sounds like you'll need it." Eric looked back at Kelso as he exited the room.

Later that night…

Eric got a cab back to the beach since he rode in the ambulance with Kelso in the hospital. He felt very good about the way things went back there. He had arrived about five hours ago and had not seen or heard from Donna since then. As Eric was approaching the beach, he felt his stomach turn a little. After all, this was the first time that he would be in the same place as both Donna and Jackie since the events of the past week had taken place. He contemplated running down the beach to his parents' hotel room and spending the night there. After that thought, a voice in his head told him that a responsible person has got to deal with this head on. The voice sounded a lot like Red. Despite everything, he walked on the beach and headed in the direction of the party.

Eric took in the scenery surrounding him. There was a bonfire a bit of a distance away from a makeshift dance floor set on top of the sand with a cassette deck for the DJ and a bar set up near the dance floor. There was quite a turnout there this evening. After all, this was a Saturday night. Eric approached the dance floor and started to look for Jackie when he felt a finger tapping him on the shoulder.

Eric whirled around and was greeted by a pretty redhead wearing a giant smile on her face. "Hey, you! I heard you were here. It is so great to see you."

Eric smiled right back at her. "Yeah, it's really great to see you too." Donna then pulled Eric into an embrace.

"So how's life at Midge's?"

"Well, it's interesting. You should see my mom's new boyfriend, Rob. He is like my dad's long lost twin only fatter and more annoying if you can believe that."

"That's kind of hard to picture, actually. Though I know it's got to be bad when Red's spending extra money just to get away from him."

Donna laughed. "Right? Anyway, I heard about Kelso earlier. Only he could pull something like that off on purpose. How is he?"

"Oh, he's fine. Right now he's enjoying a Jetsons and Flintstones marathon as we speak."

"Same old Kelso."

"By the way, have you seen Jackie yet? I think she said she was coming."

"Your mom came by the beach house and said she was getting ready and would meet us here in a while."

Eric smirked. "So, you're saying she'll be here in about an hour."

Donna had another laugh. She did miss his sense of humor. "I heard you guys spent a week together living in a trailer. You must be thankful that's over."

Eric felt the need to correct his purpose for his trip. "Well, actually Donna, I…" His train of thought was interrupted by the song that started to play. The familiar tune of ABBA's "Fernando" belted out, forcing the both of them to think back a couple of years. They were in his driveway and had just returned from the new Disco Dance Club in Kenosha.

Donna grabbed Eric's hand and dragged him out to the dance floor. "You know we have to dance, right?"

Eric smiled at the memory as he replied. "Of course we do."

Eric took control of the dance as he had a bit of practice at disco earlier in the week. Donna was clearly impressed. "Whoa, somebody's been practicing! I'm impressed."

"Oh, I'm just full of surprises." Speaking of surprises, the couple dancing was unaware that a certain tiny cheerleader had shown up in the area around the dance floor.

As the song ended, Donna threw her arms around Eric. "Eric, I missed you so much."

Eric started to respond. "Yeah, I…" Before he could respond any further, he was greeted by her lips. His traveling companion just nodded at the scene that was taking place and realized she never felt as helpless as she did at this moment. She couldn't watch this anymore and ran back down the beach and towards the hotel.

The kiss only lasted about five seconds, since that was when the next song started. As fate would have it, "Dancing in the Moonlight" began playing and an alarmed Eric pulled away quickly. _What are the chances? Twenty-four hours ago this song was playing while I was kissing someone else._

Eric spoke abruptly. "I have to go. I…um…left the…uh…keys in the car. Yeah…keys in the car. I'm such a dumbass, huh? He gave a nervous laugh.

Donna looked concerned. "Eric, are you okay? Do you want me to go with you!"

Eric responded quickly. "NO! Oops…I mean…no thank you. I'm beat from all the travel. I promise we'll get together tomorrow though. It was great to see you Donna. Have a good night."

"Yeah, good night Eric". Donna watched on confused as Eric ran back towards the beach parking lot.

Meanwhile…

_I should have known this would happen. I mean, who was I kidding in the first place? Eric and Donna, from next door neighbors to high school sweethearts to 2.5 kids and a white picket fence! That's how it's supposed to go right? Where does that leave me? Just alone I guess. Maybe I had this coming all along. I saw her kiss him tonight on the dance floor and I knew I was really just fooling myself over the past week. I'm staying with Eric's parents in their hotel. Luckily, I made enough from Bud's to pay for a room for the night. It's quite the lonely feeling I'm experiencing right now. I may be upset with that dumbass right now, but I miss him. Maybe I should go over to that beach house and kick some lumberjack ass in the morning. I don't know, I'll just sleep on it. Maybe I'll feel better after a beauty rest._

_Jackie_

Meanwhile, in the Vista Cruiser…

Not wanting to be near anyone at the moment, Eric had made a makeshift bed with a blanket and a pillow in the back of the car. His mind was spinning, and he was concerned that he never saw Jackie at the party tonight. He assumed she was with his parents, who he didn't want to see at the moment. After a while though, sleep finally overtook him.

_Eric was on the same beach in California. He threw his hands up. "What am I doing here now? I made it to California already. I shouldn't be having this dream now." _

"_Just get in here dumbass! Your mother and I need to talk to you!"_

_Eric walked up the steps into the same beach house as in his previous dreams. Red and Kitty were sitting at the kitchen table. When their son walked in they stood up. "Sit down son." Red instructed._

_Eric had never seen an angrier look on his mother's face. "DUMBASS!" she yelled. "Talk to him Red. I can't even look at him right now!" Kitty then exited the house._

"_I can't even believe you're my son. This is the second time in three weeks we've had to chat about women. Just when I think you can't make things any worse, you go and do what you did tonight. Now this girl loves you for some reason, I have no idea why. So I want you to go upstairs and tell the girl of your dreams that you're sorry for being such a dumbass! After this, you never, ever have this dream again! Are we clear?"_

_Eric could only out a tiny whimper. "Yes, sir."_

"_So go! I'm going to get a beer." Red then took off towards the exit of the house._

_Eric heard a girl sobbing from the bedroom at the top of the stairs. This was obviously the penance he was giving himself for his week spent in Utah. It was clear who he was supposed to be with, and she was in the next room._

_He knocked on the door and wasn't completely in the room before speaking. "Listen, Don…_

_Eric was cut off by the girl's voice. "How could you, Eric?"_

_Eric let out a gasp at he looked up at the teary eyed brunette and couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Oh my god. J…Jackie?"_


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**** Boy, Eric had a long sleep in the Vista Cruiser! I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting for so long but sometimes you have to deal with things that life throws your way. Everything is resolved now and I am back to finish what I started. I would have had this up a few days sooner but I've been distracted by all the brilliant work going on around here during my hiatus! I cope all of you haven't completely forgotten about this story and I really hope it was worth the wait! Enjoy! **

**Cruel Summer**

Chapter 17

Eric was abruptly awaken by the sound of banging on the window of the Vista Cruiser. He sure didn't like the voice in which the pounding was accompanied by. "Get up and out of that car, dumbass!" Eric shook the cobwebs off as he came out of his slumber and is was clear based on the look on Red's face that he was growing more inpatient by the second.

Red started to yell "Are you stupid or something, out of the car, NOW!" _As if getting a tongue lashing in my dream wasn't bad enough, now I wake up to the same thing, _Eric thought to himself.

Eric rushed for the car door as quickly as he could and attempted to exit, only to bump his head on the top of the driver's entrance on his way out. " Not again!" he shouted as he sat in the seat trying to regain his balance from this most recent blow he sustained. He looked up and saw the unsympathetic face of his father.

"Well boo-hoo! That serves you right for the lack of sleep I had last night! Now give me your keys and scoot over. You're going to explain all this to me while you buy me breakfast!" Eric nodded and tossed the keys to Red. He moved over to the passengers side and the guys were off to breakfast.

A little while later...

Eric and Red were sitting in a booth at the Beachside Cafe, which overlooked the oceanfront. It was the type of place that felt like home and the food smelled terrific. The waitress had just finished taking their orders and Eric was having a hole stared through him. Red completed his line of thinking and began to speak.

"You know son, just when I think you may be coming a man and taking care of your responsibilities for a change, I have my night interrupted by the Loud One crying right in the next room over from me and your mother bouncing in and out of bed like a yo-yo to check on her every hour. When I asked your mother what was wrong with her, the only response I got was ask your son! Now start talking kid, and this had better be damn good!"

Eric gulped and tried to reply, but he was too stunned to respond to the information her had just received. Red then gave him more motivation to talk "Look, if you don't start talking right now, my foot is going so far up your ass that you won't have to drive back to Wisconsin because that is where you will land!"

Eric was starting to find his words "W-what? Jackie stayed at the same hotel as you guys?"

Red rolled his eyes at Eric and his frustration level was increasing by the second. "Are you on dope? What did just finish explaining to you? It's like talking to the wall!"

"Bu- but.."

"But what?"

"Jackie said she was going to meet me at the beach party last night and she never showed. I figured she was at the hospital helping Kelso nurse his wounds."

"Well obviously she was there dumbass! I'm supposed to be on vacation here and I'm dealing with more teenage drama here than I do back at home! Now what really confuses the hell out of me about this whole thing is why is Jackie getting so upset about you? As much as I try to avoid all of you clowns, I do know that the two of you weren't exactly the closest of the group. Why don't you start there?"

Eric took a deep breath and started to speak "Given the set of circumstances we experienced for the past week, we pretty much had to rely on each other for just about everything. At first I was in a living nightmare, as we did nothing but fight as we always have. But somewhere along the way, we started to open up to each other more and I saw a side to Jackie that I never knew existed. I would not be here talking to you right now if I took this trip alone. I really needed her this past week and she was there every step of the way."

As Eric finished his thought, Red's expression softened a little. "Well, whatever changes the Loud One and yourself have gone through over the past week has worked so far. I never thought the two of you would make it here so fast and here you are. I could even tell when we first saw the two of you upon your arrival that there was something different going on. So how did Jackie go from looking at you the way she did when you guys got here, to crying at the hotel and interrupting my sleep?"

Eric let out a heavy sigh in frustration. " I don't know dad! I haven't even seen her since Kelso got stung at the beach and..." Suddenly, a light bulb moment seemed to occur in his mind.

"Dad, did you say that Jackie did go to the beach party last night?"

Red threw his hands up in the air. " Did you even listen to me. She was there! She told your mother where she was going after she got her room. Of course, less than an hour later, she returned crying and my hotel room became the same teen help center that my home already is!"

_Oh, no. If she was there for that short of a time, she must have seen me with..._The realization hit Eric like a ton of bricks and within a second he proceeded to bury his face in his hands.

Red rolled his eyes before speaking. "Okay...what did you do this time? Out with it!"

"She must have come while I was dancing with Donna. I had just gotten to the party after getting Kelso settled in the hospital and Donna was the first person I saw there. An old song of ours began to play and I figured a dance wouldn't hurt for old times sake. At the end of the song, she kissed me after saying she missed me, and Jackie must have seen that." he explained while shaking his head.

Red started to chuckle which had Eric looking confused. "What's so funny?"

Red was shaking his head this time. "You know what I don't understand? I don't get how a skinny weakling like you that can't even start the lawn mower at home can have such an effect on two good looking girls that they're competing over you."

"That's not really how it is right now dad. It was just a misunderstanding that happened last night and I know who it is that I want to be with right now."

"Look son, I think they're both nuts for making a big deal about you, not that I'm judging them. But you do know what it is you have to do after breakfast, right?"

" Get in the car and book it out of California to go home?"

"Don't be a smartass! Since I have to meet your mother at Midge's after we're done here, you can start with Donna since I still have the keys to the Vista Cruiser. Oh good, the food's here.

Let's eat."

"I think I just lost my appetite."

Meanwhile, at the hospital...

Jackie hadn't slept much overnight, so she figured she could get her chat with Michael overwith while he was cornered in the hospital room until he got released by the doctor later in the day.

She opened the door to find Kelso playing with the control that raised and lowered the hospital bed. "Hi Michael."

Kelso didn't notice that he was having company at the moment as he was having too much fun going back and forth in the bed. Jackie attempted to get his attention once again. "Michael?"

Still, no response. Jackie's expression changed dramatically, now laying daggers at her ex, and if Kelso were paying attention, he would have known he was in trouble. "MICHAEL!"

Kelso finally looked up. "Huh? Oh, hey Jackie! Check it out, its just like working out only you don't even have to get out of bed! Here, watch."

Kelso's good arm reached for the control again, only to be greeted with the thud of a purse hitting his arm. "OW! Jackie that wasn't nice!" he said as he folded his arms and wore a pout on his face like he was a little kid being scolded.

"My time is too valuable to waste on watching you play your little games Michael! I came here this morning to make sure you were okay and to talk to you for a minute."

Kelso frowned for a moment before responding. "Oh, fine! I mean, you already interrupted my little game, so you might as well keep going!"

Jackie just laughed. "Now it becomes clear why we didn't work out, with all these childish games and everything."

"What about you? You weren't exactly listening to me all the time. I mean, damn Jackie! I never had a chance to respond when you started to talk about getting married. Plus, think about all of the lovely young ladies that you'd be taking me away from. They'd never be able to forgive you for that."

Jackie shook her head in amusement. "I guess there comes a time in some relationships where you have to agree to disagree and move on."

Jackie took Kelso's hand and continued. "You were my first love Michael. It's time to show all those other girls how man pretty you really are. I'll never forget you."

Kelso gave Jackie a sincere smile. "The feeling's mutual. I'm sure you'll show other guys how pretty you are too. Maybe a particular geeky, skinny, lego building, Star Wars loving friend we both know? he asked while wagging his eyebrows with a grin.

His expression immediately softened as Jackie started to frown and tears began coming out of her eyes. "I'm sorry Jackie, I didn't mean to hit a nerve. What happened?"

Jackie began to sob once again. "Michael, it was terrible. I guess he told you about what happened over the past week?"

"He gave me the quick version. But he also asked me for my blessing when it came to whatever you guys started, and I gave it to him."

"Did he say anything about the lumberjack?"

"He said he hadn't decided what he was going to do yet."

Jackie began to shake "Yeah, well he made his decision very clear at the party last night. I saw them kissing on the dance floor."

"I'm sorry Jackie. I wish I knew what to say right now. I do know that Eric is one of my best friends, and he would never hurt anyone on purpose."

Jackie just shook her head sadly. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up Michael, but I think I'm going to use the rest of the money I made working for a plane ticket home. There's nothing left for me here. So, I guess I'll see you back in Point Place."

Kelso gave Jackie a small hug. "I wish things turned out differently for you. Just don't give up on Eric yet. He has a funny way with the unexpected."

"Bye Michael." she looked back at him with a small smile before disappearing out the door.

Kelso looked sad for a moment before turning his attention back to the control he had been interrupted from. He then grinned. "I get to work out some more. Alright!" he exclaimed happily as he hit the button again.

Meanwhile, in front of the hospital...

A sad looking Jackie Burkhart wiped away the tears from her eyes and picked up her luggage to put in the trunk of the car. She then got in the back and gave her instructions to the driver. "To the airport please." she stated with a sniffle as the cab pulled away.

As one cab pulled away, another cab pulled up and Kitty Forman stepped out and went inside to the desk and stated to the receptionist. "I'm here to pick up Michael Kelso."

"Go on up."

A minute later, in Kelso's room...

Kitty knocked at the door and entered the room and immediately had a bewildered look on her face. "Michael, what on earth are you doing?"

Kelso stopped the control to his bed and gave Kitty his trademark grin. "Oh, hey Mrs. F! Check this out, a bed that moves, isn't it the coolest thing ever? Maybe I can take this thing with me and put it in my sand castle at the beach!"

Kitty just looked confused. "What?"

Kelso proudly hit the control and started to play in the bed again. "See, it move...OW! That's the second time I've been hit there today!"

"Michael, I am in no mood for games, so get dressed and let's get out of here, NOW!"

Kelso frowned. "Whoa. Why the sour puss Mrs. F?"

Kitty let out a deep sigh. "Well, if you must know, I was up all night comforting your ex because of the actions of my dumbass son!"

Kelso just laughed. "Oh, well if that's what you're worried about, you don't need to worry any longer. Jackie was just here and said she's going to the airport to go home so I guess everything's fine.

Kitty looked pretty upset. "What?"

Kelso stood up and approached her. "What I said was..." Before he could get a word out, he felt a hand hit the back of his head.

"I heard what you said you idiot, now there's no time, we have to leave now and find Eric! Oh, just wait until I find him!" Kelso put up his hand to stop her.

"Wait, Mrs. F, I still have to get dressed, and then maybe talk to a nurse about the bed and..." Before he could continue his thought, Kelso felt a tugging on his ear.

Kitty yelled " I said we have to leave, NOW!"

"Ow, ow, ow ow, ow!" Kelso muttered as Kitty dragged him from the room still in his hospital gown.

A few hours later, at the airport...

_Hey, its me again. I haven't cheered up at all since last night, but I did gain the closure I needed with Michael this morning. I'm at the airport waiting for my flight to board for Madison so I can just put this whole mess behind me. I don't have the stomach to watch Eric waltz around here with Donna for the summer. I guess that's what happens when you open up and make yourself vulnerable to people. You just wind up getting hurt. It's time for a little attitude change once I return to Point Place. Also, when I lay my eyes on that scrawny geek again, it will be great to ring his nec...Oh, now what is happening? Can't anyone drive correctly in this country?_

_Hold on is that...I've gotta go....Bye._

_Jackie_

**A/N: What's happening in the airport? Did Eric get to talk to Donna? Did Kelso get to take his hospital bed back to the beach? Answers are coming becaust the Concluding chapter is up next! Thanks for reading! **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** **Well here it is! My longest part yet and the conclusion of the story. To everyone who took the time to read this I thank you all! I felt badabout keeping you guys hanging so I pulled an all nighter so I could get this up ASAP. I'm very proud of it and I hope I made it worth the wait for all of you. Thanks so much and I hope you all enjoy!**

**Cruel Summer**

Chapter 18

_Dear Journal,_

_Well, it seems that the moment of truth is coming quicker than I even imagined. Thanks to my dad, I am currently en route to Midge's house with explicit instructions to talk to Donna and come to an understanding about us once and for all. I had a very rude awakening in the Vista Cruiser this morning and wound up having to explain this whole mess to my dad of all people. _

_Of course, with my luck being the way it is, I was told by my dad that Jackie showed up to the beach party at the exact wrong moment last night. I was dancing with Donna because an old song of ours came on and we were having a nostalgic moment. Donna tells me how much she missed me and kisses me, apparently while Jackie was watching! I haven't seen or heard from her since and that has me worried. _

_To top things off, it turned out that Jackie was the mysterious girl I've been dreaming about for the past week. I told you she was trouble ever since... well ever since she gave me you to write in. Maybe she'll be over at Midge's already trying to talk to Donna. Hey, maybe they're arguing over me. That would be awesome! Two beautiful young ladies fighting over me! Be jealous everyone, that's right! Maybe I could find a mud pit somewhere and...uh,oh... we're parked and dad's staring a hole through me. Wish me luck..._

_Eric_

Eric looked up and saw Red glaring at him. "Eric, what in the world are you doing now?"

"Writing in my journal, duh! Jackie gave it to me and it really helps me understanding how I'm feel..." Eric's thought was interrupted by Red ripping the journal out of his hands and throwing it in the back seat.

"What kind of son did I raise anyway? Journals are for pansies! Now get out of the car and into that house and find Donna, NOW!"

Eric opened the door like he was sitting on a spring and started his way up the steps to Midge's house, with Red following close behind. Eric knocked on the door and a moment later, Midge answered the door. "Eric, how nice to see you again!" she said while hugging him.

Eric looked downward at her "assets" and laughed "Oh yeah Midge, its really great to see you...ouch!" he was interrupted by his father's hand meeting the back of the head.

Midge continued "Why don't you go see Donna, she's out back having a drink." Eric nodded and started in the direction of the back deck.

Midge turned back to Red. "Why don't you come inside and I'll show you my pet rock collection?"

Red held up his hand and responded "I think I'll wait for Kitty in the..." before he finished speaking, Midge had already grabbed Red's hand and guided him inside.

Red could only roll his eyes and looked up to the sky. _Why does stuff like this always happen to me? _he thought as Midge shut the front door to the house.

Out back on the deck...

Eric turned the corner to see Donna sitting at the table on the deck while drinking iced tea and reading a magazine. _Maybe if I jump off the deck now, she won't even notice. _Eric thought to himself briefly but he knew what he had to do. He cleared his throat to get her attention. "Ahem."

Donna looked up and greeted her longtime neighbor/boyfriend with a smile. "Eric, I didn't know you were coming over! I'm glad to see you, especially since you took off so quickly last night." She got up and gave him a hug.

_Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought. _"Er...its a really nice day out, why don't we go for a walk on the beach?"

She smiled back at him. "Sounds like a good idea, I'll put my things inside and we'll be off."

"Sounds good." Eric replied with a nervous smile. He gulped immediately after she opened the slider to enter the beach house.

A few minutes later...

Eric was making small talk about the weather and Kelso's experiences so far this summer. "So Kelso's hub cap popped off and this smelly old fish cane out! He got all mad, but that was an awesome bu..."

Eric took a deep breath and spoke. "Donna, we really need to talk."

Donna folded her arms and looked concerned. "Eric, what is it?" she asked.

_Just like I anticipated. I've seen that look before. _"Well where do I begin? I never thought I would be having a talk like this with you. Even a week ago, when you left, if someone told me I'd be talking to you about this right now, I would have thought they would have done about five circles in the basement."

He was met with a sigh from Donna. "Come on Eric, stop beating around the bush and just come out with it already!"

"Donna...over the past week, while on the way out here, I was able to think about a lot of things. Somewhere along the way, I got stuck in the middle of nowhere with what I believed to be the wicked witch of Point Place. Then, something happened. I saw a side of Jackie that I never knew was there, and I really liked it. It wouldn't be fair to you if we just got back together because I'd always wonder what would have been like if...." WHACK!

_Oh great, how many blows to my head is this for the week? _Eric thought as he fell to the sand. He was surprised to look up and see Donna offer her hand to help him up. She sighed heavily and spoke. "You dill hole! Why didn't you just tell me last night? I feel so dumb for throwing myself at you AGAIN...that's two rejections in a week."

"Look Donna, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, after all, you are still my closest friend."

Donna gave him a small smile. "I know. The feeling's mutual. You let me have my thing with Casey without getting in the way until it was necessary, so I guess it's only fair to see what happens between you and Jackie. You're the oldest friend I have, Eric. I'd never stand in the way of something that makes you happy."

"Aww, you're like the best friend ever!" Eric exclaimed and pulled Donna into a sincere embrace.

As the pair separated, Donna had something else to say. "Just remember, you and Jackie are my best friends, if either one of you hurt the other, I'm kicking both your asses!" she stated while holding up her fist to warn him.

"Duly noted." Eric nodded. _Hmm...never thought of it like that, remember to never go to Donna with relationship issues. That slap hurt enough as it was!_

"ERIC!" his thought had been interrupted by Michael Kelso running towards him...in a hospital gown? _What could be next?_

"Eric!" Kelso exclaimed while grabbing both his skinny geek and tall redhead's shoulders so he could stop his momentum. "Eric...I....have something very important to tell you." he answered as he tried regaining his breath.

Eric's eyes went wide. "What, what is it, Kelso?"

Kelso just broke out in a huge grin. "Okay, check it out you guys! I came up with the best idea for a business while in the on the way here! Get ready for this brilliant plan. I'm going to run a hotel...built like a sand castle...with remote control hospital beds in every room...and just cartoons all day on every..." Kelso's explanation was interrupted by another screaming voice approaching the group.

"ERIC FORMAN!"

Eric gulped as he had never seen his mother move so fast or so upset. "Mom? What is it?"

"How could you just be standing here at a time like this? This is not the way I brought you up!"

"What, what's going on? Kelso's just talking about his plans for..."

Kitty started screaming at Kelso, "My husband is right about you. You really are a kettle head!"

Kelso looked confused. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Guess what Eric, Jackie came by the room this morning and said she was on her way to the airport because she saw that the two of you (pointing at Eric and Donna) are back togeth...OW my eye!" he shouted as he was greeted by a hand to the eye by his skinny friend.

Eric yelled "I can't believe you didn't tell me this oh I don't know, right when you got here! I've gotta go guys!" he gave a quick wave as he raced as fast as he could back towards the beach house.

This left Kelso there with Kitty and Donna. He held out both of his arms. "So, ladies how about I walk you back to the..." before he was finished , both ladies shoved him to the ground and started to walk back to Midge's together.

He sat up in the sand and yelled out to the walking pair. "Hey, that wasn't very nice."

Kelso then looked towards the beach as he sat up in the sand and saw a couple of attractive women in bikinis laughing about his outfit (still in his hospital gown). He just smiled and waved. "Hi!"

Meanwhile...

Eric raced across the beach, almost slipping in the sand several times before he reached the beach house. He scrambled as fast as he could and opened up the door to the Vista Cruiser. He started the engine and sped town the street. A few minutes later, when he began thinking rationally, he yelled out to nobody in particular. "Oh, my god! Where the hell is the airport?"

About twenty minutes later, he had just gotten off the phone with Red after making a collect call on a pay phone to Midge's because he was out of change. Before he got directions, Red lectured him about how he was going to pay because he forced him to endure Midge's tour of her rock collection. He raced back in the car and got to the freeway as fast as he could!

When Eric got on the freeway, he was greeted with the visual of gridlock traffic. Eric put his head in his hands, which were leaning on the horn, causing it to sound. Eric didn't even care anymore,as he was too frustrated. The driver in the lane next to him yelled across to him, "Will you stop that!"

Eric was so impatient right now that he yelled back "Buzz off!" as he rolled up his window and turned the A/C on full blast.

An hour later...

Eric arrived at the exit and sped down the ramp as quick as he could. The airport was right down the street and he had to get there, quick! Though he was sort of thinking that it was a possibility that Jackie was long gone by now. Of course, during his train of thought, Eric did not notice that the traffic light at the airport's entrance was shining bright red and he sped right through. Not until about halfway down the road to the parking area, did he look in the mirror and see blue lights flashing behind him!

Eric let out a yelp that sounded like a scared child. _If this cop catches up to me, there's no way I can get to Jackie on time!_ He saw the visitor drop off area just in front of him, which was right by the entrance to the airport. He didn't see anyone there at the moment ant thought to himself. _Oh, well! Might as well go for it! _Eric sped the Vista Cruiser right into the drop off semi circle, bet had the wheel turned the wrong way slightly to the right. He slammed on the brakes and the front of the Cruiser collided with a fire hydrant on the side of the curb! He gathered the keys quick and exited the car. He then booked it for the entrance to the airport and was inside just as the police car caught up with the Vista Cruiser.

Eric was scared about a couple of things at the moment. _Oh well, I'm safe until I leave._ He checked the flights on the board and he did see one flight to Madison listed. No time was wasted, as he sprinted for the gate.

Meanwhile...

A somber looking Jackie Burkhart changed her expression to an alarmed look as she had just heard a big crash and a siren outside as she closed her journal. That's when the PA announcer spoke.

"Flight 1280 to Madison is now boarding all passengers." Jackie rose from her seat and gathered her luggage. She entered the line to board which was when she heard something else.

"Jackie, Jackie!"

A moment later, before she could turn around to see what was happening, a hand pulled her out of her place in line. She whirled around to see a panting, very out of breath, Eric Foreman.

Jackie folded her arms while Eric tried to regain his breath. "What do you Eric?" she spat at him, as her patience level was extremely low.

Eric finally somewhat regained his breath and spoke. "Jackie, where do you think you're going? I thought we were in on this trip together."

He was greeted with a huge huff in response. "Yeah, that's what I thought too, Forman! That is until I went to the beach party last night and saw Big Red Riding Lumberjack all over a scrawny, idiotic, geek boy, and if you think I'm going to stick around here and witness a summer full of that, well mister, you've got another..." that is when it happened.

Jackie was interrupted by his lips meeting her own. All previous thoughts in her head flew out of it as her lips melted into his.

_This was so worth it. _Eric thought to himself during the kiss. Following about thirty passionate seconds, they breathlessly pulled apart.

Eric still held her close to him and looked down at her puzzled expression. "But...I saw you guys last night and..."

Eric just chuckled and started to explain. "What you saw there was a huge misunderstanding. I had arrived at the party about five minutes before you and that was a dance for old times sake. When Donna kissed me, I knew where I needed to be and who I needed to be with. You and I have been a team for the past week, and I'm not willing to give that up yet. Do you remember the dreams I told you about?"

Jackie nodded her head "Yeah, I remember." she responded softly.

"The girl calling for me was you all along. Seeing Donna last night helped me realize that. Are you really going to prevent this scrawny geek from being with the girl of his dreams?"

The multi-colored eyes were sparkling. "I'm the girl of your dreams?" she sniffled.

Eric just gave a big nod, confirming his answer.

Jackie wiped her eyes and wrapped her hands tenderly around his neck, smiling ear to ear. "So...I guess you kind of like me, huh Foreman?"

Eric shrugged. "For the devil, I guess you're alright. But you're _my devil."_

Jackie let out a small laugh. "I guess that makes you _my _scrawny geek boy."

"Yeah, about the scrawny thing, I'll have you know that I gained three pounds of pure muscle this past..." he was interrupted by a certain devil putting a finger on his lips.

"Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

And he did.

About a half hour later...

After the tender moment had past, the new happy couple had gotten Jackie's plane ticked refunded and got her luggage back. They walked arm and arm out the exit to return to the drop off area when Eric's expression changed from one of great joy to one of heavy fear. Jackie looked up at him and she asked "Eric, what's wrong?" Just as the question escaped her lips, she looked up and saw a cop waiting in front of the Vista Cruiser, which had hit a fire hydrant and hed a dented hood and turned fender. The policeman pointed at Eric. "Alright pal, come with me."

Eric tossed Jackie his car keys and briefly gave instructions. "Follow us."

Jackie caught the keys and just gave him a smirk. "I guess I can call you jailbait after all, Foreman!"

Eric simply shook his head and went along with the cop.

The following evening...

_Oh my God! This is about the happiest I've been in my entire life. Of all the romantic acts boys have done for me in the past, I had the most romantic one of all happen yesterday, and by Eric Forman of all people. He got in trouble with the police just for me! We all know how Jackie Burkhart loves gestures like that! _

_Anyway, the Vista Cruiser was still in working order after hitting the hydrant though it was dented up a bit by the accident. Eric had to use the money he made working at Bud's to pay off his citations issued to him at the station for reckless driving, running a stoplight, and speeding. Needless to say that after the incident, Eric sure didn't want Mr. Foreman to see the car, so we parked it down the street from the hotel they were at and we slept at Midge's._

_We had a huge bonfire on the beach last night with those of us that were here. Michael had three sluts with him, two who liked him in his hospital gown, (Don't ask me, I haven't a clue what that was about!) and another one I really can't stand named Annette! Donna was there too and was as polite as she could possibly be, given the circumstances. It's still going to take some time for her to adjust, though. Given that she needed space from us right now, and the condition of the Vista Cruiser, we decided it was best if we packed up this morning and headed for home! (At least that's what geek boy thinks right now!)_

_What he doesn't know about having me as his girlfriend, (I know I can't believe it either!) is that I get to work my Jackie Magic on him! Its all about knowing the right people in the right places and pulling the right strings at the appropriate time. Confused? Watch and learn! Oh, I have to go, we're almost at the right exit right now! Until next time, don't miss me too much!_

_Love, Jackie_

Jackie closed her journal and caught Eric looking over at her. "What did you write in there? Anything about me?"

She swatted his arm playfully "Wouldn't you like to know!" She noticed the exit she wanted to take was up next.

Jackie began to yawn. "Eric, can you take the next exit? I'm pretty beat from the last couple of days."

Eric frowned. "I don't think there are any hotels that you would like at..."

She responded abruptly "Just take the exit Foreman!"

Eric shook his head. "Fine what does it matter to me anyway?" he put on the directional and turned off at the requested exit.

Eric listened to Jackie as she gave him specific directions and gave her a strange look. "Um...Jackie...something about this place is starting to look strangely familiar." she was giggling to herself now.

"What's so...you're kidding me!" was all he could say after the headlights flashed a very familiar sign. WELCOME TO SUNRISE, UTAH.

"Okay Burkhart, what are we doing back here?" he asked.

"All will be explained in good time. To the drive in Jeeves!" she joked.

"Jeeves! What am I, a chauffer?"

Jackie nodded. "and a very handsome one I might add."

Eric swatted her on her shoulder. "Do I get special perks?"

"If you behave." she responded, wagging her eyebrows.

With that, Eric turned into the familiar drive-in and parked the Cruiser. "So, explain to me why we're here?"

"Well, while we're waiting I guess I can reveal surprise number one."

"Number one? How many are there exactly?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out, Foreman!"

"Well, color me intrigued." Eric stated.

Jackie laughed and spoke. "Well, I snuck away and called Bud last night when you were at the bonfire, and I told him about what happened to the car. He said that our jobs are still there if we want them, and he can fix the car...again."

"That sounds great dear, but what are we going to do about living?"

"What do you think Foreman? The answer is surprise number two." Jackie flashed him a big smile.

"You mean, we get the trailer again?"

"As long as we hold down our work obligations, we're welcome to stay as long as we want, um...I mean, for the summer."

"That's great. If we're going to be staying there together, I guess that means that we can..."

Jackie held up her hand. "We can talk about that later, if you behave that is."

"Yes ma'am. Are there any more surprises?"

Jackie nodded at him. "Just one last one. Look at the screen, Eric." she replied with a mysterious smile.

Almost on cue, the title flashed on screen STAR WARS...and the theme played as the scroll started Episode IV: A New Hope.

Eric's mouth hung open in shock. He could barely speak. "What...how....who...okay, Best. Girlfriend. Ever. Come here." Eric kissed her with all the love he had inside him, which left her breathless once again.

The opening sequence was still rolling when he just had to know. "Okay, Burkhart. How did you pull this one off?"

"Again, Eric. At the bonfire it was revealed to me that Midge's dumb actor boyfriend knows a lot of people in Hollywood and she got him to pull some strings to set this up."

Eric was at a loss for words. Jackie laughed at this sight, as happy tears spread down his face. "Are those tears? Are you crying?"

"I'm speechless, really thank you." Eric leaned in for a kiss but held off when a certain thought crossed his mind.

Jackie looked at him concerned. "What's wrong?"

Eric's face broke into a wide grin as he pointed his index finger at her accusingly. "Wait a minute. Since this was _your idea, _now you can finally admit to me that you're a closet Star wars geek!"

Jackie's mouth hung open in horror. "What? I am not!

"Am too!"

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"Okay Forman, I'll admit it!"

Eric pumped his fist in celebration. "Yes i win!" Jackie responded by holding up her hand.

"Not quite yet. I'll admit it as soon as you admit that you actually _enjoyed_ Grease when we saw it here."

Eric's look of glee melted into a pout. "I most certainly did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Eric threw his hands up. "Well if we can't agree on what movies we like, maybe we can agree on this."

Jackie was curious. "What's that Eric?"

"Kelso may have had the appropriate yearbook quote after all."

"Remind me about it again."she asked.

"What a long, strange trip its been...with Jackie Burkhart." he replied with a smile.

Jackie smiled back at him. "Oh that's a good quote, but I can't quite agree with you about it."

Eric let out a heavy sigh. "Now what's wrong with that one?"

Jackie giggled at his frustration and took his hand before speaking. "Its not perfect Eric because I don't believe this long, strange trip is ending. I believe that _our_ long, strange trip is only just beginning."

Eric smiled in approval. "Yeah. I can agree to that." He then pulled her in for a soft kiss and put his arm around her. Jackie leaned her head against his chest as the opening sequence ended and they started to watch the movie under the stars and moonlight of Sunrise.

**The End**

**A/N:  A long, strange trip indeed! I may still add a small epilogue so I'm not marking the story complete just yet. Meanwhile, I do have another idea that I'm working on and hopefully I can get that started really soon. Thank you all again. You guys are the best!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**** Just wanted to tie up a few loose ends here!**

**Cruel Summer**

Chapter 19/ Epilogue

_September 29,1978_

_Dear Journal,_

_Its been a while since I've been able to write, as I have been paying the price for my summer adventure. Jackie and myself did continue to work at Bud's until the last week of August, so we could get back to Point Place and prepare for the school year. It was easily the best summer vacation ever! We would work hard during the day and go to the drive in or (Against my will I tell you!) the roller disco after on the nights we weren't tired. At other times, we's just sit underneath the stars on top of the trailer and talk about whatever came to mind. Then, my favorite nights is were we just stayed inside the trailer and...well, that's for me to know and for you to imagine!_

_The drive back home to Point Place went much better this time, as the car was in excellent shape by the time we were finished working for Bud. Unfortunately, when I got home, the first sight I saw was my dad glaring at me holding an envelope from the State of California which contained receipts from the tickets I had to pay for my attempt to get Jackie at the airport. So, I got an extra week added on to the extra chores I had to do for "being a dumbass" as y dad so eloquently put it. I was grounded for the first couple of weeks for fleeing Point Place and upsetting mom, and I had extra week of chores added on as well for dad losing his sleep the night Jackie was upset, and also something about being tortured by Midge's rock collection. (I have no clue about the last part!) I'm writing today since my punishment is officially over, and Jackie is coming over for our first official date in Point Place._

_Jackie has been coming to the basement during my punishments, and we're still doing great! We have found our moments alone, under the alibi of studying in the library. I was studying all right...but not the way...wait, why am I telling you this, for me to know once again._

_As for the others, they're all their usual selves. Donna and Kelso returned home a couple of days after us. She still comes to the basement and hangs out, and she is still slowly adjusting to the Jackie and I being together. She did meet this guy Randy who just moved to town, and she seems to be into him. I hope she goes for it and is as happy as I am. She did tell me however that Kelso's summer of doing it, was an epic failure. He got some girl named Annette's phone number who promised to visit him. From what I understand though, she's not exactly the brightest bulb on the tree! Oh, and he did recover from the jellyfish sting, but he was pretty devastated when it rained one day in California and his giant sand castle was history. _

_Hyde is still his usual self, and Kelso's eye is still never safe when he's around. He is running the photo hut at the moment, as Leo disappeared over the summer and nobody seems to know where he went. Weird. Fez met a girl named Nina at one of the parties that Hyde threw while mom and dad were in California. She got him a job at the DMV and they've been haning out a lot recently. Poor guy is pretty sure that she's going to let him "do it" with him, bet how many times have I heard that before?_

_Ooh, I hear footsteps, hopefully this is Jackie...until next time!_

_Eric_

The door to the basement opened as Eric shut the journal and turned his attention towards his female companion, who looked a bit sad. "Jackie, what's wrong?"

"I have bad news Forman. It seems like you've been grounded for another night."

Eric waved his hand at the thought. "Jackie, sweetheart, don't be silly. I already talked to my parents and we're going to meet the group at the Hub."

Jackie just laughed. "Oh, they're not grounding you, I am!"

Eric started to stand up and chuckled to himself. "Jackie, what are you talking..." before he could finish his statement, he was shoved back down to the couch.

She started slowly approaching his seat and leaned over to whisper in his ear. "I really need to study tonight, Eric, and we've yet to study in the basement."

Eric laughed again "What are you talking about? Its the weekend, there's no need to..." his thought was interrupted by the brunette wrapping her arms around his neck and sat on his lap.

It _finally_ hit him what was going on here. "You've got to stop hanging around Michael so much, Forman."

Eric smiled at the joke. "I'm sorry, I meant let the session begin." he brought her lips to his.

The studying session was underway.

**A/N:**** Thank you all again for coming on this ride with me! I loved every single review I received, and I can't wait to start working on my new idea. To everyone who got this far with me, thanks from the bottom of my heart and I will be back very soon!**


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